Memories Are Everything
by Hydriatus
Summary: The tale of Negi Springfield and his allies. All of them.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Well, after several months planning, moaning, and otherwise being an ass, I finally got around to starting this. I'll try to keep my update intervals smaller, but I suppose that depends on feedback. And seeing as the Train Station rarely reviews…

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Negima, nor its assorted ensemble of cast and plot. Neither do I own (deep breath now) The Dreamer and its associated characters and plot (XSerac), Pactum Factum and its associated characters and plot (Tsutomu Teruko), Bard Moon Rising and its associated characters and plot (Dark Dragon Dave), Scheme!? and its associated characters and plot (Ansem Man), Fallout and its associated characters and plot (Midnight Sleeper), Who Could Love A Puppet and its associated character (l33tmansaysw00t), Student Number 32 and its associated characters and plot (TzuiAssassian), Hiro's Lament and its associated characters and plot (KafkasDragon), Markham Chronicles and its associated characters and plot (KafkasDragon), Screwed Up and its associated characters and plot (Master Masa Random). Ok, breathe! And yes, I did get permission. Except the Negima one. Because we don't need it for fanfics. (I think that's the longest disclaimer yet)

* * *

**Chapter One**

**A Saga Begins**

"_Magic is commonly classified by the users. Black mages use bad, and white mages use good. My magic isn't exactly... 'good'. I'm more of the 'use whatever's convenient at the time' kind of guy, so I'm more grey than I am black or white. Then again, it all depends on your perspective, so go figure."_

Connor Gavet

Negi sighed in frustration and closed the book. He rubbed his temples furiously, emitting a low groan. The midnight study sessions were starting to catch up with him. He stood up and yawned widely, opening his window. Fresh air billowed in, replacing the stuffy air in the room. The ten year old glanced about his room, his place of solitude for the past three years. Today, it came to an end. Today he left for Japan, to a place called Mahora, to be a teacher. Negi flopped down onto his bed, sighing heavily. He would do his best. He had to. Nothing less could be expected of the son of the legendary Thousand Master.

The sun was still rising, the rays of light just breaking through the clouds obscuring the horizon. It would be time to go soon. He had been told that he'd have to make it to Mahora using more mundane forms of transportation. So he had a long journey ahead of him. First he'd have to reach London, then board a plane for Tokyo, then find a train to Mahora. Luckily, the Magus had provided much assistance, and ensured that Negi would not be travelling alone. His safety was a serious consideration after all. His father had made a lot of enemies in his time.

The trip to Heathrow would be overseen by Connor, one of the senior students. Negi knew him as best as anyone else in Meridana did. Which is to say, barely. Still, he was friendly in his own warped little way, so Negi felt no qualms about going with him. The plane already had mage personnel on board, so no worries there. And once in Japan, he'd be under the jurisdiction of the Dean of Mahora. Few would threaten him then. All his belongings had already been packed and transferred, only he and a few choice items remained. Negi was eager to be off, but some things couldn't be rushed he supposed. Like his studies. Like his search for the Thousand Master.

* * *

"Where is she?" queried the black clad youth, hefting his attacker up by his cloak, glaring at the man's eyes behind the sad theatre mask.

"Fool. I would never betray the Mother!" hissed the man, dangling in the teenager's iron grip.

"Suit yourself," shrugged the brown haired boy, flinging his captive away. The cloaked adult slammed into the tree, gasping in pain and looking up in time to see a single-bladed sword embed itself in his chest. The dark eyes widened slightly before the light in them faded away.

"Damn persistent bastards," swore the youth, wrenching his blade out of the warm corpse. He casually wiped the blood off the blade on the man's clothing before sheathing it. No need to worry about the remains, the animals would have picked those clean by the time the sun set. The tall teen smirked as he turned around and began making his way out of the forest. A cool breeze whistled between the trees, tugging at his grey bandana. This was starting to become routine. Every night he would go out for a training session in the woods, and every night he would get attacked. And every night he'd beat the crap out of his attackers, and every night he asked them the same thing.

_Where is she? _

And every bloody night he received the same answer. It was getting infuriating. He walked on in silence through the forest, uncaring of the dangers. Heck, _he _was the most dangerous thing in there! Soon, he could make out the towers and walls making up the academy, his home. Of sorts. At least he no longer had to take lessons, ever since that time with the portal and all the havoc that ended up causing. Of course, that didn't exempt him from other, more tedious, aspects of student life. Like sticking to a schedule or having to hand in theory papers. Connor Gavet shook his head. Of all the things to be worrying about, homework was the least important. After all, he could always get Masayoshi to do it for him.

* * *

The room was sparsely lit, only a small desk lamp providing any light whatsoever. Other items cluttering up the desk were; a beaker of blue liquid, several phials, a rack full of test tubes, bottles filled with dubious substances, a rose, and a propped up book regarding catalyst creation.

Squinting furiously at the instructions outlined in the "borrowed" book, the room's sole occupant wiped away several beads of sweat. What he was trying to do wasn't dangerous. Of course not. Such practices were frowned upon by the academy. Which is why, officially, he was still asleep. Carefully, he tilted the bottle in his right hand, bubbling with a yellowish-brown liquid, letting several droplets fall into the vial in his left hand, which was trembling slightly. Clyde Metro licked his dry lips as he watched, waiting for some sort of reaction.

* * *

Connor was almost at the front entrance when one of the windows on the south tower exploded. Glancing at it, he quickly calculated from which room had been affected. Then he just shook his head with a smirk, and entered the dusty old academy of magic. Explosions form that room were a regular occurrence. After a while, one learned to blot them out.

* * *

Clyde coughed slightly, rubbing his eyes clear. Him, and the entire room were completely black from the soot. The blast had been rather…surprising. Looks like that combination of dragon's blood and weirdroot juice wasn't the best of his ideas. Unperturbed, he pulled out a notebook from deep within his robes and flipped several pages before jotting down the result of his latest experiment. Satisfied, the boy tucked his precious book away and stood up from where he had been thrown against the wall, picking up his feathered hat which had fallen next to him. Idly dusting off the soot, he reached out and undid a latch, opening the only window which hadn't been shattered by the blast. Immediately, the smog drifting lazily around his lair was sucked out, leaving behind no trace of its existence. One less thing to explain should anyone choose to investigate what happened.

_Yeah, right, like THAT is going to happen..._he thought, rolling his eyes as he collapsed back onto his bed. Everyone at Meridana had grown accustomed to the regular explosions happening in his room. Well, it was hardly the strangest thing happening here anyways. Clyde pondered this for a second. How many strange things were regular occurrences here? There were the explosions in his room, those strange noises in the dungeons, the regular demon attacks and so on. The list went on. He just shrugged and yawned. Another night of work, and now another day of lessons. He wished for the weekend to arrive already, so that he could get _some_ sleep this week.

There was a high pitched chime, and the sprinklers in his ceiling activated, spraying water everywhere. Clyde closed his eyes and sighed.

Well, at least that took care of his shower…

* * *

The halls were beginning to become crowded, as students of all ages began pouring from their rooms and making their way to breakfast, some rubbing at bleary eyes, others with all the enthusiasm only children could achieve. Bustling and jostling with the crowd, Negi tried to look as inconspicuous as was possible. Last thing he needed was a repeat of his run-in with Egare several weeks ago. Both boys had kept quiet about it, Negi out of fear of expulsion, and the older boy out of embarrassment. The child prodigy shook his head clear. Reminiscing would do no good for him now; he was scheduled to meet Connor at the school entrance in ten minutes.

One of the doors lining the hallway opened, and released a drenched, tired, and crestfallen mage. Clyde. Negi stifled a laugh at his friend's sorry state. The green feathered hat that was Metro's trademark was soaked, and the green cloak he always wore was severely burnt in several places. He closed the door behind him with a sigh. Then, he turned around and began banging his head on the old oak in frustration.

"Tough night?" asked Negi, stopping next to the older boy.

"Negi, don't. Just. Don't," breathed Clyde under his breath, closing his eyes.

"Perhaps you should take a break. All this late night work must be hard on your health."

"I'm young. I'll survive," grumbled the mage-in-training, turning around again and heading down the corridor towards the cafeteria. Negi rushed after him.

"So what have you been up to all those nights anyway?" he asked, genuinely interested.

The taller boy pondered this momentarily before answering. "Well, I could tell you, but promise not to breathe a word of it to anyone else, ok?"

Negi nodded with a smile. Clyde couldn't help but smile as well. Negi's good humour was far too infectious for his liking, but hey, it always brightened up the day.

"I've been experimenting with some new catalysts," began Clyde in a conspirational tone as they walked down the bustling corridor, weaving their way through the occasional clumps of students blocking the passage. "The current stuff we're allowed to use simply lacks the punch I expect. So I've been trying to combine the adaptability of wierdroot with the sheer magical power of dragon's blood to-"

"Where did you get dragon blood from?" asked Negi incredulously, faltering in his step.

Clyde, still smiling, simply raised a finger to his lips and whispered "It's a secret!" before patting the younger mage's head.

Negi brushed him off, laughing good-naturedly. "Alright then, keep your secrets! Something tells me I don't want to know anyway."

"And what about your secrets Negi?" countered Clyde, tilting his hat rakishly. "What's all this regarding your assignment? The whole school's been buzzing about it. A teacher in Japan, eh? Any idea where you'll be teaching then?"

Negi paused momentarily as if thinking it over before turning around and grinning at his friend. "It's a secret," he answered simply.

"Touché Springfield," replied Clyde in a smart manner, straightening his crumpled robe, glancing at the scorch marks. "Now come on, we'll be late for breakfast, and I still don't have a plausible explanation for these burns…"

He turned to continue walking, bumping into someone. "Oh, sorry…" he began, his voice dying out as he realised exactly who he had run into. Negi watched curiously as Clyde's face drained of all colour as he squeaked out, "C-c-c-connor!?"

"Careful, Feather-head," smirked Connor, suppressing a grin as he watched the younger mage back away rapidly. "Count yourself lucky I'm in a good mood. Now run on to the hall, I have business with Negi."

Clyde cast a look of interest at Negi before Connor prompted him with a glare, eliciting a yelp as the green-clad boy scurried away as fast as possible. As soon as he left their sight, the swordsman laughed. "Damn, that was too funny!"

"Connor! You shouldn't scare the other students like that!" cried Negi, glancing to where Clyde had disappeared.

"Well, a man needs to have his fun," shrugged the older youth. "Anyway, ready to go?"

"Oh, are we leaving now?" asked Negi, blinking in surprise.

"The sooner the better. You can bid goodbye to Nekane and the others in a minute. All your stuff has already been transported to the place you'll be teaching at, so no need to worry about that," said Connor, heading back down the corridor towards the stairs.

"So how are we getting to Heathrow? Staffs? Brooms?" queried Negi, running to catch up after Connor. He snorted in response.

"Nothing so old-fashioned. We'll be taking a more mundane way of getting there. It'll draw less attention. Oh, by the way, you'll need these," he continued, flinging a small tube over his shoulder.

Negi caught it just before it cracked on the cold stone floor. He inspected it momentarily before looking at Connor confused. "Age deceiving pills? Why?"

"Firstly, they'll be needed for the journey, and secondly, you'll need those where you're going."

"Wait, why would I need to look older at Mahora?"

Connor smiled slightly. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough Negi."

Negi glanced at the container in his hand, puzzled. Connor had never offered any bad advice, but still…ageing pills were illegal. "And does the Magus know we'll be using ageing pills?"

"Got permission from the Council itself, so stop worrying. Just take one and we'll be on our way," said the black clad youth, walking down the winding steps leading to the main entrance.

The boy nodded and popped one of the small candies in his mouth. One puff later, a sixteen year old Negi was ready for his trip. "Alright, now why do I have to look like this?"

"Because ten-year olds aren't allowed to ride motorbikes," Connor replied curtly.

"Oh, ok."

Then it hit him.

"Wait, what?!" he asked, following Connor outside.

The black clad youth smirked as he walked over to his vehicle. "You heard me. It's the fastest mundane way to get you to the airport."

"But it's in England, and we're in Wales! Do you know how long it will take us to get there?!" cried Negi frantically.

"Approximately fifteen minutes, including portal time," answered Connor, walking towards the garage. "Now go and make your farewells. We're going as soon as Masayoshi gets that damn portal working."

"Masayoshi? He's in charge of the portal?"

"...yes. Look, I'm not wild about the idea either, but he's learned his lesson. We won't be hurled into some parallel dimension or something."

"Was that what happened to you?" asked Negi before he could stop himself.

Connor froze. Negi stopped behind him, realizing he had touched upon a nerve.

"I'm sorry Connor. That was impertinent of me."

Connor made no gesture to signify he accepted the comment, but simply resumed walking. Negi watched him fade into the darkness of the garage entrance before a huff shook him from his reverie. He turned around, slightly nervous, as there was no mistaking that huff.

"Hello Anya," he greeted sheepishly, looking down at his friend. The shorter mage glared at him.

"What's with the get-up, eh?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Ehehehe, Connor said it's for the best. Something about a motorbike..."

"A motorbike? Sounds exciting," said Nekane with a smile.

The child prodigy couldn't help but smile with his cousin. "I suppose you're right."

* * *

Connor squinted slightly as he scanned for bay 36215 which housed his bike. Not that it was hard to find, with the place being rather empty at the best of times. But the academy stocked several mundane vehicles in case of emergencies. And of course some of them were slightly questionable, owned by several of the more eccentric students. He shook his head in disgust. Why own something if you were never going to use it? Life had enough luxuries as it was. He went deeper into the darkened building before stopping abruptly.

"So this is where you were coming from..." he sighed tiredly as he unsheathed his blade.

"The Mother desires your end, heathen," hissed a black-cloaked shape as it fell from the ceiling. A happy theatre mask glinted in the sparse light.

"Yeah, well she wants a lot of things," retorted Connor as more figures materialised around him.

"You will not leave here alive," hissed one of the warriors to his left. "By the will of the Mother, you shall perish!"

"Like hell I will!" snorted Connor, charging forwards.

* * *

"That's all you got to say?" hissed Anya, glaring at him. "Even if you look older, you're still a ten-year old brat! And you're going to Japan. No matter how mature you try to act, we all know you'll want to come home after a day! I'm certain you won't even be able to get to Heathrow without screwing something up!"

Negi shrugged. "Well, I'll be with Connor most of the way, so we should be ok."

Just then there was a roar of an engine. The trio looked towards the garage entrance, watching Connor fly out on his prized Yamaha XJ600S as the space behind him exploded. Negi, Nekane and Anya gaped as he landed and hit the brakes, skidding to a halt just in front of them.

"Put this on and get on," he said, hurling a helmet at the older Negi.

"What happened?! Are you alright?" exclaimed the boy mage, donning the helmet and glancing at the smoking ruins of the garage.

"I'm fine, and it was nothing important. By the way, Nekane, you may want to tell the Magus that _someone_ didn't do their job properly and left an open portal in parking bay 5!"

"Oh dear," said Nekane, glancing at the parking lot worriedly. "Is it all ok now?"

There was another explosion, followed by a loud crash as the ancient building that was the entrance to the car park collapsed in on itself in a cloud of smoke.

There was a moment of silence before Connor spoke. "Well, the portal's closed now if that's what you mean..." He trailed off as the dust cloud began to settle. Something hit Negi's leg. He glanced down only to be confronted by a classic sad theatre mask.

It was at this moment that the magically enhanced voice of the magus roared throughout the school. "CONNOR!!"

"Time to go," said the black-clad swordsman, grabbing Negi and hurling him behind himself before gunning the engine.

"Stay in touch!" Nekane managed to say before they shot of towards the portal that would transport them to the airport. She watched them go, smiling softly. Negi was taking his first steps into a new world. He was growing up. She was still smiling as she turned around and re-entered the academy. She would see him again, of that she was sure.

* * *

"Damn that hot-head," growled the Magus, glaring out the window at the dust trail kicked up by Connor's noisome machine. Why he had allowed him to keep that thing was beyond him. But it still had its uses...

"Sir, shouldn't we be more worried about the fact that yet another school facility has been destroyed?" queried a boy from the corner of the room, idly flicking through the pages of a black, leather-bound book. "As for Connor, you can punish him when he gets back."

"Remember who you are speaking to boy. You may be the great Hellfire but in my eyes you're still a child," retorted the magus, turning away from the window to look at his current visitor.

Masayoshi sighed as he snapped his book shut, shaking his head to clear it, causing his pony tail to wave slightly. "I apologize sir. It's been a long night after all, preparing that portal."

The elderly mage narrowed his eyes. "Indeed it must have been, and yet you are not resting. Why?"

The black haired youth stood up and stretched his arms out. "Had to make sure the son of the legendary Thousand Master was on his way safely. And now I take my leave of you sir. I should've been asleep hours ago."

"Very well. You may leave. I have arranged for you to have the day off to fully recuperate."

"Thank you sir," replied the younger mage, smiling tiredly. He turned to leave the headmaster of the school alone with his thoughts.

"Oh, before you take your rest, find Clyde Metro for me," added the Magus as an afterthought.

Masayoshi froze mid-step, and took a deep breath before turning around and nodding. His rest would obviously have to wait for a while.

**

* * *

**

**A/N:** Well...the cat's outta the bag...let's see how far it can get before being stuffed back in, shall we?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Wow, this is off to a popular start. Here's another chapter for being a great audience and responding promptly and encouragingly, though not entirely critically.

**Review Responses**

**Midnight Sleeper:** Connor's description of magic is courtesy of Xserac. Thanks for the encouragement, though why is the verdict "good" and not "great"?

**Tikigod784: **Nowhere any fic has gone before hopefully…

**GaleBread: **Always an issue in a multi-OC fic. Thanks for praising me.

**The Ansem Man:** Involving others so soon? That was introducing them as characters to this fic. They won't be back for a bit.

**LostInNothing:** I think this answers your question XD.

**DarkDragonDave:** No pressure on me then eh?

**Daughter of ether:** Its not Gale's Train Station! It's a democracy! And Lee…well, read on.

**Tribladeofchaos:** I do not accept offers. Inclusion is my own judgement. I use OCs I like. Not necessarily from great fics, but those I personally like.

And here we go with the show. That damn cat is not wanting to get back in the bag.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**Paths Converge**

"_Travelling broadens your horizons, right? Well, I've seen this world from end to end, and the horizon looks pretty much the same to me. What's up with that?" _

Masayoshi Hitodama

"Look after yourself Negi," said Connor, before donning his helmet and speeding off into the sunset. The ten year old watched him go before hitching his bag up and walking into the airport. The warmed air inside was a pleasant change from the cold wind blowing outside. Winter was coming early to England it seemed, with temperatures falling as early as September. Nothing sinister about it at all, though Negi's childish imagination couldn't resist the opportunity to conjure images of dark mages and demons tampering with the weather. The child prodigy shook his head, dispelling the images. Daydreaming would not help him. Only hard work and determination would allow him to find his father. He felt his resolve burn fiercely in his chest. He knew what he had to do. He had to become a full Ministra Magi. He would have to become one of the best. Then would he be able to find his father, wherever he was.

But first, he had to get to Japan. He glanced at the information displays, searching for his flight. There it was, Flight 36215, departing for Japan in…

"Ten minutes?!" burst out the boy, gaping at the board before his brain kicked in, sending him scurrying towards the check in.

* * *

"That was too close," sighed Negi, leaning back into his seat and closing his eyes. Outside, the sea of clouds was peaceful in the soft pink light of the setting sun. Luck had been with him this day. He hadn't missed his flight after all. For now, what he needed was sleep. There wouldn't be time for such laxity when he started his assignment, of that he was sure.

"Damn stuck-up mage control," hissed a voice next to him. Negi's eyes shot open and he turned his head, inspecting the passenger next to him. A girl was massaging her temples as she talked to herself quietly, obviously convinced no one was listening to her. She was rather strange, with black hair and dark blue eyes. A silver bracelet with an inset ruby on her wrist glinted in the cabin light. She must've realised she was being watched as she fell quiet suddenly and glanced sharply at the ten year old sitting next to her. "What?"

"You shouldn't be talking about magic so off-handily," replied Negi. "After all, consequences for revealing it are rather severe."

The girl shrugged. "No one's listening, so no harm done. And you're obviously a mage trainee, so there is no issue if you happen to hear me. Although it is rare for one so young to be travelling alone…"

"How did you know I was a mage?" countered Negi, looking genuinely surprised. He wasn't that obvious…was he?

The girl smirked at him. "That massive staff you placed in the overhead compartment was a slight giveaway…as was your aura."

"Oh," answered Negi, feeling foolish. "Yeah, I suppose those would be dead giveaway…"

"Learn from your mistakes," replied the girl, looking away as she tilted her head back against the headrest. "Now let me sleep."

Negi looked at her a moment longer before shrugging and resuming his position. He needed the sleep too after all.

* * *

They reached Japan with no further incident, a slight jarring awakening Negi and alerting him of his arrival. He looked outside his small window, eager to see this new land despite his weariness. The first thing that struck him was the sense of claustrophobia, even on the airfield. Everywhere he looked there were buildings, people, vehicles, all milling about like ants. The ten year old wasn't quite sure how to react to this, yet he decided to make his way to Mahora as fast as possible. If he got lost here then he certainly wouldn't be found for a good while!

Luckily for him, the dean of Mahora had arranged a pick-up for his newest faculty member, and it was with no small relief that Negi slumped into the back of a cab, staring with all the wonder of a young child at all the sights around him. A small part of him was still anxious, but it was only to be expected. After all, how could a ten year old be a teacher without feeling slightly nervous at least? There was no guarantee he would be accepted by either the staff or the students. It was looking like his task was going to be an uphill struggle from the onset. Somehow Negi wasn't surprised. Being the son of the Thousand Master meant that he had a legacy to uphold, and this would be a test to see if he could really follow in his father's footsteps.

Suddenly he glanced around, feeling the car decelerate. "Something wrong?"

"This is as far as I can take you, sir," replied the driver. "To reach the academy you'll have to take the tram from here."

"Oh, ok. Thank you," said the boy, exiting the cab, stopping to collect his luggage. The driver nodded at him and wished him a safe journey before driving away. Negi turned and went into the train station, and onto the next leg of his journey. As he had expected, the place was packed with people milling around, travelling from one edge of the country to the other. Predictably, there was a lot of confusion and noise.

"Wow, this is amazing!" breathed Negi, looking around as he headed towards the ticket counters. The sheer amount of people took his breath away, as did their diversity. Every nationality in the world was present, and the child prodigy could feel the magic power in the air, betraying that some of those gathered here were associated with the magical world one way or another. He couldn't help but smile as he brought his ticket. Even here, so far from home, there were those who would all too gladly help him, no matter what the circumstances.

"But where is platform 12?" he wondered out loud, looking around, walking away from the ticket booth. He froze as a man crouched down in front of him, the woman he was with smiling sweetly. The adult grinned at him and pointed at a sign over head. Negi followed the direction indicated and saw, to his embarrassment, a sign with the figure 12 clearly written.

"Thanks," he said in flawless Japanese, bowing in appreciation. The man smiled and flicked him a thumbs up before standing up and walking away with his companion in tow.

_Such helpful people in Japan_ thought Negi to himself, hurrying onto the platform before his train left without him. He couldn't help but notice the amount of female students on the train, all wearing the same uniform, bearing the mark of Mahora.

"Wow, Japan sure is crowded," he said to himself, looking around the bustling carriage. "And there are so many girls!" Almost immediately a memory rose unbidden from his mind, that of his sister.

_Remember to be nice to girls, ok?_

"Sure sis," he whispered to himself, smiling at the memory of his time in Wales, left behind only several hours ago. He heard some of the girls giggle, and he glanced about.

"Where are you going, little boy?" asked a raven haired girl, leaning down to look him in the eye as she smiled in a friendly manner.

"The only stops after this are middle and high schools!" added her blonde friend.

Negi stammered slightly, feeling himself flush crimson before sneezing suddenly. Immediately, the skirt of every girl on the tram flew up, causing Negi to turn even redder in embarrassment. The girls looked at each other puzzled, muttering about freak hurricanes and other climatic phenomena, when a voice came over the speakers.

"Next stop, Mahora Academy."

There was a slight shudder as the train stopped, and the doors hissed open, flooding the interior with light. The girls flowed out of the cramped carriage, relishing the fresh air. Negi carefully followed them out, receiving his first impression of Mahora Academy. The young boy could only stand and stare as he watched a horde of teenagers stampede through the station and street outside. There seemed to be no end to the great tide of youth.

"W-what's going on?! There are so many people! Is this what school in Japan is like?!" he exclaimed, stunned into speaking his thoughts. Then it hit him. Students rushing to school? Only one reason for that. A quick look at his pocket watch confirmed his suspicions.

"Wah! I'm going to be late too! I can't be late on my first day!" With a slight magic boost, he shot off towards his destination.

A new academic year was beginning at Mahora academy. And for Negi Springfield, it heralded possibly the most memorable period of his life.

* * *

"Dean Konoe?" asked the tall woman, smiling softly.

The elderly dean of Mahora looked up at her, putting his pen to one side. The forms that he was filling could wait. "Yes, Shizuna?"

"I believe our newest teacher has arrived. He'll be here in ten minutes," she said.

"Ah yes, young Negi. Thank you Shizuna. When he arrives, send him right in please."

"Of course dean," she replied with bow, before leaving the room, making sure to close the door behind her.

Dean Konoe resumed his form-filling for several more minutes before sighing. He stood up and walked over to the window, gazing at Mahora Campus, spread out before him like a map.

"Mr. Obidia, please stop climbing school buildings. If you continue with such antics I'm afraid I will have to put you in detention," said the old man, seemingly to thin air. There was a nervous chuckle before a teenage boy hauled himself over the parapet. The dean opened the window to allow him in. The boy smiled sheepishly as he entered the dean's office, idly flicking his hair from his blue eyes.

"G-good morning, dean," he said eventually.

"Good morning indeed. Now Mr. Obidia, I believe we've discussed this before, but you are not allowed to climb school property, regardless of your physical prowess. I thought you understood that."

"I am fully aware of that sir. However, journalism club has been running little desperate lately, what with nothing happening lately…"

The dean looked at him sceptically.

"…well, nothing that we can report to the mundane students in any case," continued the boy with a shrug. "So we've had to resort to other methods of info gathering."

"I have no issue with your information gathering, more about the way you choose to do it. Eavesdropping is hardly becoming of you," countered the dean. "In any case, I'm sure you'll have plenty to write about this year. I have every faith in the journalism club."

The youth looked at him. "And what makes you so sure that this year will be particularly more exciting than the last?"

"A new teacher seems a good place to start," replied the dean with a smile. The journalist pondered this for a moment before nodding.

"You are of course correct sir. I'll be sure to look in on it later on today. Now with your leave, I'll be going sir," finished the youth with a respectful bow.

"Of course," waved the dean, sitting down at his desk as the youth walked away. "Oh, and please use the door."

Lee Obidia froze, halfway out the window before he grinned sheepishly and dropped back into the room. "Of course, sorry dean."

The dean watched the boy go, and calmly returned to writing out the requisition forms when he heard the doors close. However, barely a minute later, there was a loud bang as they were hurled open again, and a certain orange-haired girl stormed in with his granddaughter and a ten year old in tow.

"Principal! What is the meaning of this?!" demanded the tallest girl. The old man smiled slightly. Asuna Kagurazaka always had had a temper. And she wasted no time in confirming his suspicions.

"I see…your training was to come to Japan as a teacher…They've given you quite a task," pondered the dean out loud, stroking his beard.

"Y-yes. It's nice to meet you sir," replied Negi, not quite sure how to react.

"But first you need some practical experience. Let's make it from today to march…" continued the dean, still smiling. "By the way Negi, do you have a girlfriend yet? If not, my granddaughter is currently available," he added cheerfully, indicating Konoka. The girl laughed, slightly embarrassed before hitting him on the head.

"Wait a minute! Isn't it odd that a kid is doing the job of a teacher?! And our homeroom teacher too!" exclaimed Asuna in disbelief.

The dean acknowledged the comment with a nod, before addressing the child. "Negi, this job will probably be very difficult. If it's too hard for you, you will have to return home. There are no second chances. Are you prepared to accept that?"

"Y-yes Sir! I'll do my best!" confirmed Negi, determination bright in his eyes.

The dean of Mahora chuckled at the boy's seriousness. It suited him in a strange way. "Then it's settled. You'll begin today. Allow me to introduce our staff guidance counsellor, Professor Shizuna."

Negi heard a door open and turned around, only to end up with his face enveloped in something soft and warm. He looked up only to be confronted by Professor Shizuna's smiling face.

"If there is anything you do not understand, don't hesitate to ask her," he heard the dean say.

"Nice to meet you," greeted the mature woman, her smile broadening slightly.

Negi felt himself turn slightly pink as he stammered out a response, only to be interrupted by the elderly dean.

"Ah yes, one more thing. Konoka, Miss Asuna, can Negi stay in your room for a while?"

Asuna nearly burst a vein. "WHAT?! From when until when dean?!"

"Aww, don't you feel sorry for him?" queried Konoka, coming up behind the Negi.

"I told you, I hate kids!" shot back Asuna, annoyed.

"You two get along now," interrupted Dean Konoe. Asuna and Negi glanced at him in shock. Mentally the old man sighed. This was obviously going to be trickier than he had expected…

* * *

"Negi Springfield has arrived safely at Mahora," read the Magus, scanning the scroll in front of him. "There have been no problems yet. Further details to be sent after he meets his class."

"It's good to hear that he's alright," sighed Nekane gratefully. "Thank you for sharing the report with us Magus."

"As his only guardian, I figured you ought to know his about his wellbeing," replied the Magus with a thin smile.

"Heh. This proves nothing. That brat will break down and cry by the time the evening comes and he realizes he's alone!" snorted Anya, standing defiantly in the middle of the room.

"Anya, don't be so cruel to Negi. He's doing your best. As should you when you begin you're assignment," frowned Negi's cousin. The younger mage fell quiet as she shrank away from the older girl's displeasure.

"Yes Nekane. Sorry."

"Now I believe that is all for today. I'll send for you when I have more news regarding Negi," finished the Magus, standing up form his seat and indicating the door. "If you can excuse me, I still have several matters to attend to."

"Of course Magus. Thank you for inviting us," replied Nekane with a bow, before leaving the chambers of the mage teacher, Anya in tow. The mage glanced down once more onto the report in his hands when the girls left, lost in thought. "His arrival seems to be generating a lot of interest, eh? Wonder what he meant by that…"

* * *

Negi stood outside the door to his class, trembling slightly. He was nervous.

"Go on," encouraged Professor Shizuna with a smile.

The ten year old gulped before sliding open the door and tentatively stepping in. He sensed something falling onto him. Without thinking, he quickly incanted a time-freeze spell, haling the object barely an inch above his head. There was a silence as the occupiers of the room stared at him. Realizing what he had done, the prodigy immediately undid his spell, allowing the board duster to fall onto his head, creating a cloud of chalky dust. "The old duster trick…yes, you certainly got me with that one, though not exactly the most imaginative prank…" coughed Negi, addressing the girls he would be teaching from now on as he stepped forwards. The next thing he knew, he was upside down, leaning against the desk at the front of the classroom, with a bucket on his head and dotted with toy arrows. He could hear the girls laughing uproariously, their prank having succeeded. He righted himself and took the bucket off his head, rubbing his forehead slightly, trying not to grimace in pain.

"Eh?! A kid?!" he suddenly heard.

"Hey, are you ok?" asked him another female voice.

"Sorry about that! We thought you were our new teacher!" explained another girl, crouching down in front of him to be able to look at his face more closely.

"Actually, he is your new teacher. Go on, introduce yourself," prompted Shizuna, still smiling.

Negi gulped slightly before gathering his courage as he stood up and walked behind the desk, the girls returning to their seats, several visibly confused by Shizuna's remark. "My name is Negi Springfield. From today onwards, I'll be teaching mag- uh, English at this school. I am also your new homeroom teacher. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

There was a momentary silence before the girls exploded with a resounding "HE'S SO CUTE!!"

* * *

Outside, Lee Obidia cried out in pain, nearly wrenching the headphones off. Instead he clenched his fist until his pencil snapped in half. Taking a calming breath, he quelled the ringing in his head and returned to his note making, thankful that he had bugged 2As classroom in preparation for this scoop. It would have been impossible to hear what was going on without advanced equipment, or a spell for that matter, but this way was easier. And he didn't have to interview the kid himself, as the girls were all too happy to do it for him.

"How old are you?" he heard one of the students ask.

"T-ten," stammered out the new teacher. Lee blanched. _TEN?!_

"Where do you come from?" asked another female voice.

"I'm from Wales, England," answered the child teacher. Lee was furiously scribbling, trying to keep up with the interrogation. Within two minutes it was over and he had all the information he needed to write his report. Lee smirked slightly as he contemplated finally getting a scoop before Asakura. That red-head was getting too cocky for her own good. Satisfied with the day's work, the blonde boy packed up all the equipment and cat-fell to the ground before sprinting off to the Mahora School Newspaper office. Kazumi Asakura would not beat him this time!

* * *

The dark figure watched the blonde boy run off before turning its gaze back to the window. Floating silently outside 2A's window, it had a clear view right into the classroom. Of course, it wasn't just happy coincidence that no one had spotted a floating figure outside yet, oh no. That was down to a masterfully constructed Cameo spell, causing the being's form to ripple and change colours to match the surroundings, appearing almost entirely transparent. Yet a eagle-eyed observer would be able to discern the slight outline of the stranger, floating impossibly high. The figure laughed quietly as it watched the antics of 2A die down and the lesson resume. A ten year old being able to effectively control 32 teenage girls without difficulty? Something seemed slightly too good to be true...

As if on cue, it suddenly saw the entire class devolve into a brawl. Well, that was more like it… Laughter shook the figure once more until the school bell rang out suddenly, cutting through the figure's mirth. With a gentle pulse of magic, it was flying upwards, towards the school's roof. It had seen enough for now. No point in hanging around and risking exposure.

* * *

Negi sat down tiredly on some steps surrounding the Academy Statue before exhaling deeply.

"I guess I failed my first lesson," he said to himself quietly. "I suppose I should talk to Takamichi about it later on…"

He casually flipped open his class roster and scanned the pages momentarily, thinking out loud. "What's with that girls attitude? She's so mean!" His finger stopped at the portrait of the girl in question, one who had taken it upon herself to make his first day here miserable. "Kagurazaka Asuna? So that's who she is. Activities: Art Club. Eh, not much there…" Casting about quickly to see if anyone was looking, he pulled out a black marker and scribbled on 'Meanie' next to her, and added a pair of horns. Well, he was still a child after all, so it was only to be expected. He giggled slightly at his little act of vengeance. It would do. He looked up from his little graffiti, taking in the calmness around him. Patiently looking around the plaza, not particularly searching for anything, his eyes came to rest on yet another of his students. A look at his roster confirmed it. "Number 27, Miyazaki Nodoka," he read out loud, looking back to the girl, noting with worry how the stack of books she was carrying was trembling slightly.

Suddenly, she tripped and lost her balance, falling over the edge of the stairs she was descending with a cry. Without thinking, the child teacher sprang up and grabbed his staff, pointing it at his falling student. With barely a word his spell took effect. The now unconscious girl stopped falling suddenly, floating just an inch over the ground. Her teacher dashed forwards, casting his staff aside as he leapt and caught her as the spell ended, crashing to the ground in a heap, cradling the unconscious Nodoka.

"A-are you ok, Miss Miyazaki?" he asked, sitting up, supporting his student.

"W-w-what was that?" he heard someone ask.

Negi looked away from the girl in his arms to the speaker, the blood draining from his face. Asuna stared at him incredulously. This was definitively NOT good…

* * *

**A/N:** There ya go. Dont expect the next update anytime soon...oh, reviews appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thank you all for the overwhelming response to this story so far! As MaE 04 nears completion, I've decided that you've waited long enough. Here is Chapter Three, and special thanks to Tsutomu Teruko for allowing me to use her fine introductory scenes from Pactum Factum, tweaked by me to fit into this...madness.

**Review Responses**

**Daughter of ether:** No outstanding point?! weeps I must try harder then!

**Tribladeofchaos:** Sorry if I offended you. Write your fic well and who knows?

**The Ansem Man:** Ansem, mad as it is, I am not only doing the entire manga upto the Mahorafest, I am also doing the plots of the fics from which the OCs originate. A plot cocktail, blending all the fanfics and manga story together. Madness, as I've said, but it ain't been done before, so gotta try!

**Tikigod784:** Subtle? Me? Hah! All my secrets can be worked out in under a minute.

**GaleBread:** Things will heat up soon-ish.

**LostInNothing:** I recommend getting to know the OCs by reading their respective stories, even if only for the fact the fics are awesome reads.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**New Friends**

"_Everyone has skeletons in their closet. Well, except Yuna. She has an albino with red eyes in her closet."_

Akira Okochi

Negi stared nervously at Asuna, who simply stood there and gaped at him.

"W-w-what was that?" she asked eventually.

Negi couldn't find any words, simply looking at her in shock and fear. Suddenly, Nodoka stirred in his arms, mumbling slightly. It snapped everyone out of their trances. Negi managed to yelp out as Asuna grabbed him and his staff and shot off, leaving behind a confused Nodoka. She didn't stop running until they were far away, deep in a park.

"Alright, what was all that?! What the hell are you, a mutant?!" demanded Asuna, shaking the child viciously by the collar.

"I-i-i-it was magic…" her teacher managed to stammer out between shakes.

"Whatever! It's the same thing in the end! Wait, that means the incident this morning was your entire fault too!" snarled the girl, glaring at the boy trapped in her vice-like grip.

"I'm sorry! Don't tell anyone I'm a mage1 Please!" pleaded Negi once he was released from Asuna's death-grip.

"You've gotta be kidding! I'm telling everyone!"

"Then you leave me no choice," replied Negi, suddenly serious. "I shall have to remove your memory!"

Well, we all know what happens next…

* * *

…so let's take a moment to view another fateful encounter, happening not too far away, involving one Yuna Akashi. She was heading back to her dorm alone, after another day at school, though this one was more memorable than ever. Who could've thought her new homeroom teacher would be a cute little ten year old? Yet for some reason, maybe fate, more likely not, she chose not to take the direct route home, instead deciding to take the scenic way. This route was just a tiny little pebbled path, flanked by various lonely little gated-off trees.

Yet…strangely, today the path seemed to evoke a feeling of…nostalgia? The basketball star couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something seemed to call to her memory. It was maddening, like a song you always hummed, but never knew what it was called or where you had heard it before. Whatever it was, it was beginning to faze the girl, so she quickened her pace.

That was the moment a rustling caught her attention. She stopped and looked at the bushes from where the sound was coming from. She sighed audibly when a cat emerged. It was black with big green eyes and one white paw. There was a pink ribbon around its neck, and its ears were lifted as it watched her.

"Awww!" cooed the athletic girl, walking up and crouching in front of the little ball of fur. "Hi, kitty! What's up?" she asked cheerfully, holding out a hand for it to sniff. The cat smelt her hand before turning around and trotting off back to the bush. Yuna blinked after it. "Oh, you're going now?"

The cat hunkered down underneath the overhanging leaves and stared at her intently. Yuna grinned and followed, creeping along on her toes without rising out of her crouch. When she reached the bush, the dark cat stood, bumped her hand with its head and tiptoed off again. She followed it with her eyes, watching it step lightly, as if walking on water until it reached…

"…a CORPSE?!" Yuna nearly screamed, staring in horror at the body. Then again, the guy seemed to be in pretty fine condition to be a corpse. Then again, he was just lying there, his arms limp by his sides. giving no indication of life whatsoever. He seemed pretty tall, with light-grey hair and wearing a strangely coloured suit Yuna had never encountered before.

She slowly approached the still figure. "Hey mister, are you ok? Hey, wake up!" The girl knelt down next to the stranger and shook him by the shoulder gently. Finally the strange youth stirred slightly, groggily opening his eyes. They were bright red.

He looked up blearily at her and spoke. "Huh?"

Yuna laughed in relief, falling back onto her heels. "Thank goodness for that, I thought you were really dead for a minute there!"

"What?" asked the bewildered guy, sitting up and glancing about.

"I mean, you were lying there in the bushes…You shouldn't do that! You could scare people you know!" pointed out Yuna accusingly.

The albino youth simply stared at her for a moment before slowly lifting his hand to touch her jaw.

"Huh?" queried Yuna, surprised. "You ok mister-"

She was cut off as the young man leaned in and kissed her.

Yuna hadn't ever been kissed by anybody before. And as a strict tomboy, daddy's girl and student at an all-girl's school, she hadn't expected to be kissed anytime soon, either. And so this sudden intrusion took her completely by surprise, and all she did was sit there, her hands on his shoulders in a feeble attempt to push him off and her eyes closed out of sheer habit.

And from somewhere or other, a little voice declared, "Pactio!"

Suddenly, she realized just what was odd about the path that day, but then she forgot it as she tipped forward, fast asleep.

* * *

"Yuna Akashi, Howell J. Fitzwilliam, check," murmured a figure to itself, calmly watching the whole scene from its vantage point in the tree across the path. He ticked a box next to the names labelled 'Met' and idly lingered over the next one, labelled 'Possible infatuation' before shrugging and wrapping up the document and storing it away. Those things came with time, and he had all the time in the world. But for now, he had other individuals to locate. He spared another glance at the sleeping form of Yuna Akashi and the calmly sitting youth next to her, idly staring at the clouds passing overhead. The figure smiled coldly as he vanished with a rustle of his cloak.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the dorms, a welcoming party was in full swing, absentees be damned! Negi applauded as all his students showed off their talents to him, and he had to admit, they could certainly put on a variety performance! He had never encountered such a group of individuals before. His class could do almost anything. Whether it was a gymnastic demonstration by Makie, or Misora leading the choir, or Zazie with her tricks, or even Ayaka playing the violin, Negi couldn't help but be impressed and entertained.

"So you are my new homeroom teacher?" he heard a voice query disapprovingly. The child prodigy turned his head slightly, only to be confronted by a familiar face.

"You!" he exclaimed, eyes growing wide. "Why are you here?!"

The girl from the plane ride frowned at him. "I'm here to learn, obviously. Question is, why are you here?"

"I said so, its part of my training," he replied nervously, glancing about to make sure no one was eavesdropping. There was no need. His students were thoroughly getting into the party atmosphere and losing themselves in the chaos of the celebration. Assured no one was listening in, he scanned the book in his hands yet again, identifying this student. Number 32, Aer Hazumi. "Oh, so you're name is Hazumi? I take it you're not originally from England then."

"Well I am," snapped the girl irritably. "My ancestors are probably from here, but I wouldn't know. Now excuse me, but I'm off to sleep," the girl turned away from him and stomped off to her room, followed quietly by another girl, glaring at all the celebrations contemptuously. Negi couldn't help but feel his spirits rise. If there was a mage, even one in training in his class, then his task was sure to be easier. In case of any emergencies, he had someone to fall back on and help him in class. A shame he hadn't known that this afternoon when he was caught by Asuna and tried to erase her memory, only to erase her…

Well, best not to dwell on that. He had other things to take care of, like getting to know his students. As he was going to be spending a lot of time with them, he might as well learn more about them. Quickly scanning the crowd, he matched faces with names in his class roster. Then he found that something didn't quite add up.

"Erm, has anyone seen Yuna Akashi?" he queried.

"Yuna? Haven't seen her since class ended," replied a tall girl Negi quickly identified as Akira Okochi.

"Ah, Negi, don't worry, I'll go look for her," said Takamichi, smiling at the child teacher. "Meanwhile, enjoy yourself. I'll be back with her in no time."

The ten year old nodded his acknowledgement, and his older friend left. He resumed reading through the class roster before finding yet another discrepancy.

"Konoka, where's Asuna?"

His other roommate turned to him, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I'm not sure. I think she left early…"

"Oh," blinked Negi. "Thanks." The dean's granddaughter smiled before turning back to her conversation. The teacher glanced about the large room, taking in everyone's good mood. No one would notice if he slipped away for a moment, right? Despite everything that had happened, Asuna was still one of his students, and as her teacher, he was responsible for her. Takamichi had already gone to find Yuna, so it was done to him to find his other wayward student. Negi smiled to himself as he quietly stood up and padded over to the door, casting one last look at the wild party going on in his honour. The kid teacher smiled before leaving unnoticed.

It did not take long to locate her. He found her on the staircase, leaning on the windowsill, staring into space. Negi slowed as he came up behind her, quietly worried at the girl's stillness, quite contrary to her usual boisterous self. "Asuna?"

At hearing her name being spoken, the teenager glanced at him. Negi was taken aback. The girl had tears in her eyes. Immediately, Negi understood. "I-I-I'm sorry," he said eventually, looking down to spare his student further embarrassment. "It's my fault. I seem to have made quite a mess of things on my first day…"

"No, its fine," sniffed Asuna, looking outside again. "It's unrequited love after all…" she continued on. Negi's heart swelled with sympathy. Asuna loved Takamichi, everyone knew that. But due to her being a student and him being a teacher, it could never be, even if she did confess her feelings to him.

"I'm sorry. Magic really is no good for these sorts of things. But then again, grandfather always said that our magic was not all-powerful, and that a little bit of courage was true magic."

Asuna was silent for a moment before turning around, smiling softly. "Alright, I'll try my best at being courageous."

Her teacher smiled too, quietly pleased that he had managed to lift the girl's spirits. Maybe this teaching assignment wouldn't be so hard after all!

"But you'll have to help me. I mean, as my teacher you're supposed to, right?"

Er, yes, of course," answered Negi, slightly nervous now. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, I need to practice confessing of course."

"Eh…?"

"I can't just confess to him without practicing first can I?" pointed out Asuna, climbing he stairs until they were face to face. "So from now on, you're Professor Takahata, got it?"

"Uh, sure…" replied Negi, surprised at her sudden change in demeanour.

His student took a deep breath, and removed her bell decorations, letting her long hair fall down until it resembled Ayaka's. Negi couldn't help but look at her admiringly. She was rather pretty actually…

"I love you…" she said quietly, almost shyly. Even though they were acting, Negi couldn't stop himself blushing. She looked up at him, and slightly more loudly spoke again. "I love you professor." Negi gulped slightly as she leaned in closer. "I've loved you for a long time," she continued, "is it troublesome for you?"

"Ah, eh, no…" stammered Negi, hoping he wasn't glowing red now.

"Good," whispered Asuna as she leaned in close. Negi felt the blood rush to his head, and he screwed his eyes shut to blot out the image of an attractive girl leaning towards him for a kiss.

_I'm a teacher! These thoughts are WRONG!_ he thought furiously.

Suddenly he felt someone pinching his cheeks and pulling on them. He opened his eyes and saw the mirth on his student's face. "Did you really think I was going to kiss you just then?" she laughed, pinching his cheeks even more. "Your face was all red and quivering! For a kid, you really see yourself as a playboy, don't you?" She smiled as she continued. "This is your punishment for giving me the worst day ever!"

* * *

Yuna woke up. Feeling a little sick, the girl turned her head to the side slightly. Right next to her was a black cat.

"Huh… kitty…" she mumbled, then paused. She could hear singing. It was a male voice, and she couldn't understand the words to the song… they were in a different language, she realized—English? She turned her head to look in the direction of the sound, this time only to be faced by a blank-faced young man with bright red eyes and silver hair sitting a few feet away. "GAH!!"

Suddenly remembering what had happened before her nodding off, Yuna leapt up, pointing an accusing finger at the offender and wishing her face wasn't so very red.

"You-you-youyouyou—"

The stranger blinked at her, stopping his singing, his expression not changing.

"What?"

"You…" Yuna tried to find some way to voice her fury, finally settling on a strangled, "You bad bad man!"

"Bad man?" the albino guy considered this for a minute. "Oh, are you upset that I didn't ask you first? I'm sorry. I'd been waiting there for so long, though, and I was getting more and more desperate, so when you showed up I didn't bother asking…"

"Gah!" Yuna cried. "What kind of sicko are you!?"

"I'm Howell Jonathon Fitzwilliam. What kind of sicko are _you_?" he asked congenially, smiling all over.

"Akashi Yuna, pleased to—waitaminute!!" the dark-haired girl shook her head quickly and shouted, "I don't need to tell you anything! I can't even _pronounce_ that

name of yours! You're really ticking me off!"

Howell didn't seem too upset by this declaration. Calmly, he pulled a rather thick rectangle of paper from his coat pocket and showed it to her. It was probably some kind of ID or something; it had his picture on it and a bunch of words in a language Yuna couldn't read. He pointed to these words and explained, "It's very easy, see? You'd pronounce it Hau-ru- Fi-tsu-wi-ri-a-mu…"

"I can't read that!"

"What, don't you pay attention in English class?" Howell inquired sweetly.

Yuna really didn't know why she hadn't left already. "None of your business. What is this thing, anyway?" she eyed him suspiciously. "A forged emigration paper, I bet! You're a criminal, aren't you!?"

The russet-eyed man stared at her curiously. "It's our pactio card, you silly."

"Pactio what?" Yuna tried to think of where she'd heard that word before. After a while she gave up and, becoming fed up, jabbed a finger at the weirdo's nose. "Listen, buddy, quit trying to squirm out of it and answer my questions! What was up with that ki-ki-ki—that thing!?"

"I couldn't help it," Howell said simply. "I was really desperate."

The annoyed athlete stared at him, face deadpan. "For what?"

"The pactio," was the most infuriating response. "Isn't it obvious?"

Yuna was lost yet again. "What?"

"I mean, obviously I wouldn't do something like that unless I was _really_ desperate. Right?"

For a minute Yuna tried to sort this out, then realized that he was making a jab at her and saying that she was undesirable, which ticked her off all over again. "Hey! What do you mean?!"

Howell shrugged and sighed, showing her that weirdo card thing again _as if she wanted to see it_ and went on, "It was so weak! You're not used to it at all, are you? This thing will probably be completely useless…"

Yuna took this opportunity to smash him in the teeth with her fist. While he recoiled from this, she shouted, "Hey Buster, where do you get off practically molesting me like that and then _complaining_ about it!? Jerk! Pervert! Jackass!"

He stared up at her blankly. "Huh?"

Infuriated, Yuna dealt him a good kick in the face, then stomped off before she could see if he noticed _that_. "Moron!" she grumbled.

"Huh?"

She paused, turned around to rant at him again, then decided against it. The girl turned on her heel and began to stalk off once again… but was stopped before she got too far.

"Well, hello, Yuna-san. What are you up to?" inquired Professor Takahata. "Who's this?"

"Uh, he's…"

"Alo-HA!!" Howell sang, practically pushing Yuna aside as he leapt up to greet Takahata. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Japanese teacher! I'm Howell Jonathon Fitzwilliam (age 25), I've come from the very, very far-off land of Wales, but I became lost and was accosted by this lewd, sweaty turnip-chest girl here and hit with a truck! Japan is a strange place, is it not? Ha, ha!"

Takahata blinked.

"Hey, who's lewd?! And whaddaya mean, accosted? YOU accosted ME!!" Yuna shouted, ducking behind her bewildered ex-homeroom-teacher. "Takahata-sensei, this weird guy won't leave me alone! He's been following me for a while now."

Instead of doing as she said and telling Howell where to get off, Takahata just stood there, rubbing his beard. "Fitzwilliam from Wales, huh? You're the one that the dean was talking about, aren't you? The new guy?"

Howell grinned up at him. "That's me!"

"EH!?" Yuna exclaimed, disbelieving. "The dean? What'd he want with someone like _you?_"

"Yuna-san," Takahata said benignly, gesturing towards the beaming Howell "Howell-san is going to be teaching here for this semester."

"Teaching?!" the dark-haired girl demanded. "But you look…so _young_!"

Howell had now turned back to address Takahata, showing him a handful of papers. "I have to turn these in to the dean before I can do anything else, but I got lost…"

"The dean's is just over that way," Takahata said obligingly. "Yuna-san, could you show him?"

"What?!" Yuna cried. The last thing she wanted to do was spend more time with this guy!

Howell nudged her with his elbow, chirruping, "Well, come on, turnips."

"WHAT'S WITH THE 'TURNIPS'?!" demanded Yuna, walking down the sidewalk with Mr. Strangoid nonetheless.

"Those unusually-lumped breasts of yours… they're so sweaty they look like turnips that have just absorbed too much water, yes?"

"What! THEY DO NOT!"

"You're right, looking at them now, they look more like radishes."

Yuna began to stamp Howell's foot into the ground, and Takahata lit himself a new cigarette.

Here was hoping that Howell got to the dean's in one piece.

* * *

"So have you decided on a place to stay yet?" asked Asuna suddenly, glancing back at him, causing the bells in her hair to chime softly.

"Oh, no," he replied, looking at her. His student sighed as she looked away.

"Well come on then, it's getting late. We should be getting back to the dorm."

"Asuna, does that mean you're accepting Negi?" asked Konoka happily.

"N-no! But I'm not heartless either! He's just a kid and he needs a place to stay! I'm just doing the right thing!"

"S-u-r-e," teased Konoka, winking at the orange-haired girl.

Negi smiled as his roommates fell into childish bickering, As an afterthought, he pulled out his class roster for the umpteenth time that day, and added another mark onto the picture of Asuna, scribbling out his early marks and jotting down 'Actually a nice person'. The prodigy's smile widened. Perhaps living here wouldn't be so bad after all…

* * *

**A/N:** Chapter four coming your way soon folks…


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I have no excuse. I'll just point at Theru, XSerac and the rest of the TS crew and their policy on updates (few and far between, but worth it).

**Review Responses**

**DarkDragonDave**: Keep pulling!

**Tribladeofchaos:** Hopefully soon enough…

**Daughter of ether:** Damn shift button. It's either that or caps lock…

**Hellsender:** No advertising your own fics in your reviews dude, they should speak for themselves. Thanks for the ego boost anyhow.

**Tikigod784**: Luke? Unlikely. Last count I have about 20 OCs in this, and only one of them is mine, and he's new to boot.

**GaleBread:** Subtle. Me. Right.

**TzuiAssassian:** Thanks for the luck. I'll need it…

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**Love Potions Never Help**

"_Potions are trouble. Romance is trouble. Need I say more?"_

Clyde Metro

"T-Takahata-sensei, I, um, that is…" stammered Asuna, feeling herself blush, making sure to keep Negi, holding an ominously bubbling bucket, out of the elder teachers view. "I m-made some tea…it's really good…would you like some?" she asked nervously, taking deep breaths, hoping her crush didn't notice.

The elder teacher took the cup from her hand, sniffed it and smiled knowingly. "This is a Love Potion, isn't it? There's no need for that…"

The long haired girl of 2A blushed even more as she looked at him, half surprised at his words, and the other embarrassed for being found out. Her look became one of outright shock when her love interest added, "I've been in love with you for quite a while now!" with a laugh, coming up close to her. Asuna could feel her heart beating wildly, the blood rushing through her veins as the handsome man leant in close, cupping her chin in his hand.

"Takahata-sensei," breathed Asuna, closing her eyes as she kissed the man she loved.

And opened her eyes.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" she shrieked, jerking upright, pulling the sheets over her. "What the heck do you think you're doing sleeping in my bed?!"

Sitting up groggily, Negi rubbed his eyes, mumbling "Sis?" He blinked at her blearily, clearing his sight, and was immediately awake. "A-A-Asuna?! I'm sorry! It's just that I'm used to sleeping with sis and…" he explained hurriedly.

"Wh-what?! God, you're such a kid!" snapped his roommate. "I let you use the sofa didn't I?" she added angrily, glancing at the clock next to her bed. "Wah! It's 5am! Konoka, I'm leaving!" she cried, leaping onto the floor and pulling on her morning clothing, dashing out the door.

"Asuna, where are you going?!" asked Negi as the bad-tempered girl slammed the door shut.

"Nnnn, her part time job," answered Konoka drowsily, waking up form all the commotion. Shaking her head at her roommate's behaviour, she got out of bad and put on an apron. "Don't worry, I'll make you breakfast Negi-kun. Do you like your eggs sunny side up or scrambled?"

"Ah, sunny side up," answered the ten year old, smiling. It had been a while since he'd tasted home cooking, several days in fact.

"Roger," smiled his friendlier roommate, walking into the kitchen whilst humming to herself. Negi fell silent and stared out the window at Mahora, his new home, still enshrouded by darkness. The place he had come to work. He sighed quietly and turned around, looking over the room he lived in now, where Asuna and Konoka let him stay. It was a small dormitory, but it had it's own loft, a pair of bunks, and a kitchen and bathroom. Maybe not much, but it was still a home.

* * *

"And stay in there!" growled Yuna, slamming the door to the closet shut. That, that, that…ANNOYING man just kept on getting worse and worse! Not only did she have to live with that weirdo now, but he kept humming that damn song! She was sure she knew it, but from where?

"Yuna, you ready?" asked Akira, coming out of the bathroom, dressed in her uniform. The basketball player nodded and grabbed her bag before leaving with her friend. "Oh, by the way, I was meaning to ask you," started the swimmer, "why is there an albino man living in our closet?"

Her friend groaned before answering. "Supposedly he's our new teacher and hasn't got anywhere to stay. So the dean decided that it's ideal for him to stay in our room for some reason."

Akira was quiet for a moment, thinking. "Is it because your father's a teacher?"

Yuna considered this as they left the doors, stepping outside. "Now that you mention it, it could be…but that's not important! The thing is what the heck am I meant to do with him?! He's obviously going to do perverted things to us in our sleep!"

Akira laughed softly. "He doesn't seem like such an animal…"

"That's it! I need to get him a leash and tie it to the closet so he can't go further than two feet from it!" burst out Yuna triumphantly, as if struck by divine inspiration. "Thanks Akira!"

"Yuna, I think that's illegal…"

* * *

The school bell tolled. And, as usual, Asuna and Konoka were late. Dashing once more through the streets of the campus, this time with Negi in tow, the girls dodged and weaved between the larger crowds. The smaller gangs just broke apart in front of them. No one got in Asuna Kagurazaka's way when she was running full tilt.

"Ah jeez," she exclaimed, shooting her ten year old homeroom teacher an annoyed glance. "I was late for my job! I should never have agreed to let someone like you stay with us!" she snapped angrily.

"Eh?! But it wasn't my fault!" cried Negi, turning pale as he effortlessly kept up with the taller girls demanding pace.

Skating beside the pair, Konoka just smiled sadly. "You two sure don't get along well…" she said, shaking her head.

Asuna suddenly turned to Negi and whispered so as to make sure Konoka did not overhear. "Hey listen, I'm the only one who knows you're a mage, right? You'd better tone it down or I'll expose you, to the class and the media!"

Negi gulped at the threat as his roommate continued.

"There'll be a mass scandal, and you'll be declared a witch! There will be burnings at the stake, burnings I tell you, burnings!" she continued zealously, panicking Negi further whilst behind her Konoka just tilted her head quizzically, having no clue as to what Asuna was talking about. "Just kidding. But you'd better not get on my bad side!"

Negi gulped and tried to calm his hammering heartbeat. Asuna could be _really_ scary when she wanted to be! He'd have to take extra care to stay in her good graces, speaking of which…

"Um…" he started nervously, leaning in close to Asuna, still easily keeping pace with her. "The love potion we discussed yesterday…what do you want me to do about it? I really can make one in four months you know…"

Asuna blushed slightly as her dream from that morning resurfaced, and the intimacy between her and Takahata-sensei sending a thrill through her body before common sense reasserted itself.

"W…Wh-What the heck are you talking about?!" she exclaimed angrily, thumping him on the back, eliciting a small squeak of protest. "Wasn't it you who said 'A little bit of courage is real magic'? I'll make it happen somehow on my own," she finished in a softer tone, looking at her homeroom teacher with a small measure of respect.

_That was incredible! She really is nicer than she looks_ thought the ten year old to himself, feeling pride well up in his chest for his student as he allowed the girls to run ahead into class to get ready for the day's lessons. _I've got to do my best to train as a teacher until March too! I'll become a great mage like my father is one day!_ Smiling to himself, he trotted over to the lockers, searching for his name. He found it quickly enough, locker 36215, but typically, it was just beyond his reach.

"Good morning Negi-sensei," greeted Ayaka warmly, reaching up and getting his book for him. "I'll show you the way to the classroom," she added, handing him the book as he stammered his thanks, taken aback by her sudden arrival, before remembering his manners.

"Good morning Class rep!" he said brightly, recognizing the blonde fully. She smiled at his recognition as she replied.

"My name is Ayaka Yukihiro. Did you sleep well last night sensei?"

"Ah, yes, very well thank you," he replied, smiling. His student blushed slightly, inwardly squealing at his cuteness as they made their way to the class, and the first of a long series of eventful days.

* * *

"Negi, Negi, already establishing yourself amongst the girls I see," muttered the figure to himself, grinning rakishly as he watched the mage walk down the corridor to his class whilst floating outside. He gently followed, his camouflaged green robes appearing to be transparent, shielding him from inquisitive eyes. He briefly considered the possibility of another brawl like yesterday developing, and immediately regretted not bringing any popcorn for the show. His smile quickly morphed into a frown as he shook his head. "Focus! This isn't a reality show, you've got a job to do," he whispered to himself, remembering his purpose for coming here. He looked up at Negi, noting his arrival into the classroom and how the blonde girl with him caught the dusty eraser about an inch above his head. Suppressing a snigger, the youth settled down comfortably on the tree just outside the windows, giving a perfect view of the class. He idly pulled out a lengthy scroll and a quill, and began to write down his observations, taking a pause now and then to confirm what he was seeing, and to doodle. It wasn't like anyone was going to read it anyway. It'd just be labelled and filed like all the others he was sending. Like he cared. He got paid for it, so why complain? He glanced up and brushed a stray blonde hair from his eyes as he peered into the classroom. That orange-haired girl with the pig-tails was trying to read something with great difficulty, shooting Negi looks of pure loathing.

The figure chuckled slightly. "Popular as ever Negi."

* * *

Who will watch the watchers? _Him_.

He was kneeling on the parapet of the Academy roof, immobile and hunched like a gargoyle of old. Brown eyes, hardened by far too many lifetimes simply watching and waiting, stared coolly right through the cloaked figure in the tree. He easily recognized who it was. Green robes, feathered hat. Only one fool tramped around like that. Still, a smile formed on his lips. He had been such a fool once. But no more, he thought as the grin vanished. He pulled out a long scroll and scanned the never-ending list of names. Finally he reached the one he needed and ticked the box labelled "Participating".

"So much to do, so little time," he whispered to himself, flicking open a watch and glancing at the time before stowing it away. "Things are about to pick up…I wonder…" he trailed off, lost in thought. He snapped his fingers as if reaching a decision. "Alright, time to hasten things up a bit," he said quietly, pulling out a small phone from his pocket and flicking it open, dialling in one of over a hundred numbers he'd memorised. The bill alone will cost a fortune, without including the international charges for calling all the way to Wales. Just as the line connected, he felt it. Another point of importance was about to occur. He stood up and ran towards the stairs, just as the person on the other side of the connection spoke.

* * *

Negi sat down heavily on the steps surrounding the statue in the middle of the abandoned plaza, sighing as he cradled his head in his hands. "I've done something terrible to Asuna-san again…" he groaned, despair filling his small frame. How was he meant to become a great age if he couldn't even handle being a teacher? "She was glaring at me for the rest of the class, she's not happy with my at all…"

"Umm…Negi-sensei?"

He looked up. "Eh…ah, yes?" he queried politely, smiling. No need to make others worry. His burdens were his own, he thought as he looked at his students.

"Excuse us sensei, we have some questions about today's lesson," said one of the girls, with long hair and glasses. Negi took a moment to place her.

"Ah, sure. You're…Haruna Kiotome, right? Seat 14?"

She grinned slyly at him. "Right, but it's not my question, it's hers," she answered nudging her friend closer. The blushing girl leant in nervously, blushing furiously. Negi cocked his head to one side before smiling brightly.

"Ah, Miyazaki-san, you've changed your hairstyle, haven't you? It really suits you!" he complimented. _I'm being nice to girls, just like I promised Sis!_

"I told you he'd like it!" burst out Haruna triumphantly, leaning in next to Nodoka and pulling her fringe away form her face. "Don't you think she's cute? She has a cute face but never shows it!"

Unfortunately, his was too much for the timid librarian, who just turned even redder before bolting away.

"Ah, Nodoka!" cried Haruna, setting off after her, Yue in tow. "Sorry about this sensei!"

Negi simply stared, uncomprehending, as the library trio sped off. "What was all that about…?" he wondered out loud, totally oblivious as to what had spooked Nodoka. "Well, if only everyone in class was as well behaved as her…" he thought out loud, feeling his gloominess return as he considered what a mess of things he'd made with Asuna. "What should I do?" he wondered out loud, shoving his hands into his pockets, disturbing something nestled deep within. Curiously, he pulled it out and exclaimed in surprise. "T-these are the magic pills grandfather got me! If I have this, I could make that love potion! Alright! Sis must've slipped these into my bag!" he cried victoriously, unheeding of anyone who could hear him. He paused his rejoicing suddenly as he remembered Asuna's words earlier that day. Perhaps this wasn't enough to earn her forgiveness, but this was all he could do to try to make up to her…

* * *

Yawning, the kitten looked up at the albino, her emerald eyes full of boredom. "Oh come on Howell, let's go somewhere!"

The red-eyed man looked down at his familiar blankly. "But turnip-girl told us to stay here," he replied, leaning against the back of the cupboard.

The white cat bristled at the mention of that little brat. "But you're her teacher. She can't order you around. Now let's go for a walk at least. My legs are getting stiff from being stuck here all day." Her guardian just shrugged and pushed the door open and she gratefully leapt out of the dark space. She stretched out again before turning around and shooting the albino a dark look. "Well? Aren't you coming?"

The man seemed to ponder over this for a second before brightening. "Nope," he said with a smile and closed the door. The cat just stood there and stared for five minutes at the closed door, hearing Howell begin to hum a song to himself again. Then with a huff, the kitten turned around and stormed off to the window, and with one graceful leap reached the sill. She turned around and distastefully regarded the little dormitory and frowned darkly before escaping into the harsh bright light of the day.

* * *

"Asuna-san!" cried Negi as he burst into the classroom, glancing about frantically, full of enthusiasm.

Sitting in her desk, Asuna growled quietly as he burst in. "…looks like that Negi-brat is back." Then, as Negi approached she turned on her seat and snapped at him. "What do you want?!"

"I did it! I actually did it!" said the boy-teacher, full of excitement but keeping his voice low enough for only the pair of them to hear.

"You did what?" queried Asuna, lowering her voice, resigned to the little mage's next crackpot scheme.

"The love potion!" whispered Negi back excitedly. Yep, another hare-brained scheme it was then. Asuna stood up and began walking towards the door.

"I told you once already! I don't need it!" she hissed angrily, storming off.

"But it's real! Look, you just have to drink a little-" started her teacher, before being abruptly cut off as the tall girl grabbed the tube and poured the contents into his mouth.

"You drink it!" she countered, grinning evilly. Whatever foul trick he was going to play on her was about to backfire spectacularly! "I refuse to drink anything form someone who made my panties 'accidentally' disappear!" she added, turning form him as the boy gagged once and spat out the empty tube. A look of horror passed over his face before being replaced by confusion as nothing happened. "See? Nothing! I don't know what you were planning, but faking potions isn't going to help!"

"S-sorry Asuna-san," said Negi, bowing apologetically, and turned to Konoka, who had tapped him on the shoulder. "Yes, Konoka-san?"

"Negi-kun…now that I've taken a good look at you…you're kinda cute!" said his roommate with a faint blush. Negi simply looked at her uncomprehendingly as she embraced him tightly. Unfortunately, she did so whilst within fifty metres of the class representative.

"W-what are you doing Konoka-san?!" demanded the pretty blonde, slapping her desk for good measure. "Such unbecoming conduct in front of a teacher! I will not tolerate…" she exclaimed, pulling the ten year old from the other girls grasp. "..Negi-sensei accepting anyone's feeling but mine," she finished passionately, falling onto one knee and presenting her sensei with a bouquet of flowers. Asuna stared, slack-jawed as more girls flocked to the little mage, doting upon him.

"Sensei! Please have some! I made it in home economics!" squealed Sakurako, holding out a slice of vanilla cake, bustling with the other third of the Mahora Cheerleading Trio, Misa, also offering her sensei a gift, only that this one was clothes.

The boy was having none of it, immediately realizing the risks, and slipping from Konoka's grasp, dashed out the door, crying for help.

Asuna simply stared in shock. She shook her head to clear it. "Ah geez, guess I have no choice…" she remarked, before being grabbed roughly from behind by Ayaka.

"Asuna-san, where did Negi-sensei go?!" demanded the blonde, trying her best to choke her classmate.

"Get a hold of yourself Class Rep!" snapped Asuna, breaking free and thwacking her nemesis on the head with a mean right hook.

* * *

The Observer just stared slack-jawed. "Negi, what have you gotten yourself into?" he asked quietly, watching his friend sprint down the length of the corridor like a panther, being chased by a pack of alarmingly cute girls. Of course, he'd seen the potion, he knew what had happened. It didn't make it any easier though. The fact love potions were illegal only made things worse. The young man felt his resolve harden. Negi was his friend, and only a child, so one or two mistakes were only to be expected. That meant he could turn a blind eye to this particular incident. Or even help out. After all, that's what Observers were for. The blonde grinned as he pulled out the dispelling potion from within his green robes. Standard Observer equipment to deal with maverick mages getting to full of themselves. It should do the trick here…

* * *

"Help!!" cried Negi, hurtling down the corridors, his enchanted students hot on his heels. Just then he spotted the girl from earlier walking down the hallway. "Watch out, Miyazaki-san!" he warned her as he shot past. Instead of hanging around to find out what he meant, the timid librarian gave chase, easily matching her teacher's sprint.

"W-what's going on?" she asked tentatively, clutching the books she had to her chest.

Panting heavily, Negi half-turned his head to face her and managed to gasp out. "Need – place – to – hide!"

"If that's the case, this way!" said the girl, grabbing her teacher's hand and leading him down a side passage. The crowd of girls chasing the boy rounded a corner not a moment after and looked around confusedly.

"Eh? Where'd he go?" asked Madoka, her voice tinged with disappointment. Around her the rest of the enamoured girls made similar shows of disappointment before a boy in green robes dropped form the ceiling directly in front of them. Despite the spell, the members of 3A still recoiled in surprise. "Who are you?!"

"Clyde Metro, at your service," said the boy with a polite bow before spraying them with what smelt like window cleaner.

* * *

"Whew, thanks Miyazaki-san," said Negi with immense relief as he leant against a towering bookcase.

"It was nothing," replied the librarian, turning from the door. "I've locked us in so we should be ok for now…" she trailed off as she looked at her teacher and suddenly felt her chest tighten and heart beat faster. Negi glanced up and saw her gazing at him in _that_ way.

"Erm, is something wrong?" he asked nervously, edging away from her. She followed, still carrying the dreamy expression he had become all to well acquainted within the past five minutes. With a yelp, he began to run from the usually timid librarian. "ASUNA-SAN!"

* * *

"Geez, wherever did that brat get to?" sighed Asuna, glancing around. _Maybe I went too far there_ she thought, remembering how she'd forced him to drink that damned potion. _He's just a kid after all…_

That's when she heard a terrific bang. Startled, she whirled around, immediately locating the source of the noise. The school library. She ran to the door and tried the knob. It refused to yield. "Damn Negi brat…" she breathed, taking a step away from the door and spinning around, landing a kick dead on, shattering the portal and sending the door flying across the library beyond. It smashed into a pair in a very compromising position as Asuna hollered. "Just what the hell are you doing?!"

"Asuna-san, that's dangerous!" moaned Negi faintly, rubbing his head where the hurtling chunk of wood had impacted. Asuna ignored him and walked over to her classmate, effortlessly lifting her into her arms.

"Sheesh, you're nothing but trouble, you know that?"

* * *

"And so begins the relationships the Master Sage foresaw…" muttered the watcher to himself, his pen running down the length of the page until it reached the "Negi/Nodoka" box, and drew a faint tick. Just above that was another pairing, the names blotted and scratched out in absolute disgust. As far as he was concerned, it didn't exist. With a gentle sway of his hand, the scroll vanished along with the pen, and he just sat there on the windowsill, thinking. The next window along, totally oblivious, sat a grinning Lee Obidia, checking over the shots he'd stored in his camera and no doubt rejoicing in his victory in gossip gathering over Kazumi Asakura. The watcher glanced at him and tapped his finger once against the wall of the building. A minor earthquake struck Mahora, around a one on the Richter scale. Still, it was enough to dislodge the grinning Lee, who let go of his camera to grab onto the narrow windowsill outside the library. His camera fell the three storeys to smash into little fragments below.

"Aw gimme a break!" cursed the blonde, looking down at the remains of his camera.

The watcher sighed as he looked back inside and watched Negi Springfield leave. Blackmail would be useful, but not yet, not so soon. What joy is there in a story that ends too soon?

* * *

**A/N:** And you all thought the cat was in the bag didn't you?


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **I apologize in advance to all those who see this as a filler chapter. That's because it is. (time wise, this is what happened during the day before Negi's ill fated first trip into the baths…) As for the wait…MGS4.

**Blaze Shadow: **All credit is due our dear Tsutomu, she is the original writer of the sections in question after all.

**Tsutomu Teruko: **Nope, indeed he doesn't. And it should get worse…Damn coloured cats.

**GaleBread: **Of course. Eh, Masayoshi is currently hanging around in Meridana, though if you read PF you know he is going to appear…

**Daughter of ether: **Good point. Tzui has a female OC! And so does DDD now. Festival air? Yes, its needed before I go all Serac on you all. (Seriously, that guy cannot write anything else but dark and broody…)

**TsuiAssassian: **In this part? Up to the Mahorafest. I will then give in to a mental breakdown and you all can find a canon storyline for all your fics.

* * *

**Chapter Five: Life Goes On **

"_Mages exist to aid those in need. They do not seek reward or fame or recognition. They do what they must for the betterment of mankind. They are paragons of virtue. _

_Yeah, right." _

Cygnus O'Zoul

"Morning Yuna," called Akira.

Yuna mumbled a reply, unable to do much else due to brushing her teeth.

"Aren't you cold?" inquired her long haired roommate softly, gesturing at her form of dress. Yuna, being the tomboy she was, had forgone the pyjama bottoms when she couldn't find them and simply settled for a buttoned-up shirt barley large enough to shield her panties from the world.

"Yeah," she replied anyways. "Couldn't find my pyjama bottoms." She paused slightly to release a large yawn. "I was freezing my butt of last night," she finished tiredly, spitting out the excess toothpaste in her mouth.

Akira smiled at her as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "You put those in the closest yesterday morning, remember?" she reminded her groggy roommate gently.

"Why'd I do that?" she asked, blinking away sleep as she walked over to the closet in question.

"Beats me."

Yuna slid open the closet door and peered inside, only to end up face to face with a certain weird albino with red eyes.

"Good morning, Yuna! Holy smokes, seems your chest has gotten even bigger overnight!"

Yuna leapt back, emitting a tiny shriek as she slid the closet shut quickly. She stood there in front of it, panting, feeling her heart hammering ridiculously fast. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she opened the closet again. "Don't scare me like that!" she snapped at the man inside. "And why are you in here anyways?!"

"You told me to stay here," Howell pointed out, blinking at her innocently. "Besides, where else would I go?"

"No I didn't—well, yeah, but—I didn't mean it!" Yuna protested. "You haven't been there all night, have you?!"

The albino teacher cocked his head to the side. "Yeah, why?"

"Are you for real!?" Yuna demanded. "You didn't move at all!? Freak… c'mon, get up. Your legs are probably all cramped now…"

Howell smiled like a ten year old. "You're being awfully nice. Does that mean you like me now?"

"No! I mean…" The athletic girl scowled. "Well…come on! I can't believe you sat there all night…" she ordered, turning away from the albino.

"I don't mind," chirruped Howell brightly. "I'm used to it!"

"Why do you keep saying weird stuff?!" replied Yuna, turning to face him and gesturing wildly at him. "Act normal already!" However, in running with her luck lately, the excessive movements placed undue strain on the shirt buttons, resulting them in popping. Needless to say, Howell wound up glimpsing a lot more than he should have.

"Yuna!" exclaimed Akira in mild surprise. The girl in question whirled around, holding her nightshirt closed and shining a bright red. Taking a minute to ensure all the buttons were fastened again, she slowly growled.

"You saw?"

"Yep," answered Howell happily.

"I'm going to get dressed," replied Yuna dangerously as she stomped off, still flushing, leaving behind a blank Howell. He leaned out the closet and peered around curiously before stepping out. He wandered over to the breakfast table and then stood there, staring blankly at Akira in his trademark way which never failed to annoy everyone.

The swimmer looked up, meeting his gaze after a period of time. "Want to sit down?" she offered, shifting slightly awkwardly in her seat.

"Sure," replied the man, and did so, continuing to stare at her intently.

Another period of silence followed before Akira spoke again. "Um, is something the matter?"

"Not really," answered Howell, cocking his head to one side as he gazed at her intently, confused.

"Howell-sensei, is something the matter?" asked Akira, slightly concerned, as Yuna emerged from the bathroom, hair fixed into her classic ponytail and dressed casually for the weekend. She waved weakly at the pair as she headed straight for the fridge.

"Ready to go is see," noted Akira. "What time –"

"Eleven," answered Yuna, sitting down in a nearby chair. "Sure you don't want to come?"

"I have swim practice," pointed out her roommate, turning to Howell to explain. "Yuna's going out with some friends from her basketball team today."

Howell thought about this for a minute before smiling brightly at the basketball player and pointed at himself. "Me too?"

Yuna scowled at him. "You too? If you mean coming along, then no."

"Oh…"

Akira quickly intervened. "Sensei, why not come along with me and meet our homeroom teacher? His name is Negi-sensei, and he came here from Wales, just like you. Would you care to meet him?"

"Oh, yes, very much," smiled Howell.

"Wonderful—let's go see him after breakfast."

* * *

Grumbling foully to himself, Lee Obidia stalked down the street, his new camera safely tucked away in his bag. He stared directly ahead, his limbs moving mechanically as he retraced his steps back to his dormitory. Surely, Kazumi Asakura was pulling ahead, and relishing it too. He snarled as he scrunched up the note in his hand and hurled it into a nearby trash can. That girl SERIOUSLY got on his nerves. But he would prove her wrong, oh yes. Mahora was big enough for only one star reporter, and that was him!

Though he had to hand it to her, for a mundane, she had an uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time. Of course, he just had to hear something, power up to 50 and go off. Of course, lately, information had shrivelled up and died at the Academy. Simply put, the news clubs had it a lull, and were suffering horribly. Nothing left to do but report the sports scores. Lee shuddered despite himself. That was a nail in the coffin of any newspaper.

He continued on his way, passing by a strange girl with tattoos on her expressionless face, idly feeding some birds. Lee stopped dead and turned around. There was a black swan there as well, picking at the seeds on the pavement. He just stared at it in surprise. Hey, when was the last time YOU saw a black swan?

He snapped back to reality when the girl turned to face him. _She can't be any older than me _he realized with a jolt as he felt himself flush red in embarrassment. Quickly he turned around and went on his way. Now was not the time to be gawking at birds. Or girls for that matter.

* * *

"Makie, wake up!" repeated Ako Izumi, Student Number 5 of class 2A, prodding her mumbling friend. The gymnast muttered worriedly and continued her troubled sleep. Taking a deep breath, and hating herself for what she was about to do, Ako leant down until her lips were a scant inch from the sleeping girl's ear. There was no alternative, and she was probably doing her a favour. The nightmare she must be having had to be awful, considering how she was groaning and constantly shifting. "MAKIE, WAKE UP!" the trainee nurse shouted into the gymnast's head.

The tossing girl awoke immediately and leapt up, smashing her head against the top bunk and bursting into tears as she fell back into her bed. "Sorry!" gasped Ako, immediately running into the bathroom to wet a towel before returning and placing it against her friend's bruised forehead. The gymnast cried for a while before quieting down as the pain ebbed away. She looked up at her roommate and smiled weakly through her tears. "Better now?" queried Ako, regret welling up inside her.

"T-thanks Ako," breathed Makie Sasaki, Student Number 16, trembling slightly. "It was…"

"…another nightmare," concluded Ako, to which Makie nodded. "I figured as much, you were groaning and thrashing so much I was getting worried." Her friend looked at her and nodded, venturing a small smile.

"Thanks Ako. I felt as if I was going to have a heart attack!"

"What?! What kind of nightmare was it?" replied the nurse, worry in her tone. Makie fell quiet and looked away. Ako leant away from her roommate. "Sorry. If it's that bad then I shouldn't have asked."

"Oh no, that's not it," replied Makie quickly, shaking her head to reassure the other girl. "It's just that…I can't remember anything about it." She sighed. "Probably a good thing too. I was so scared…"

"So you remember nothing?" asked the nurse, standing up and heading to the kitchen to fix breakfast.

"Well, I think I heard a violin playing…" pondered Makie, before getting up herself to go get washed. "When are we meant to meet Yuna anyways?" she asked, trying to put the nightmare behind her.

Ako glanced at the clock hanging on their dormitory wall. "We have another two hours to spare."

"Oh good, I thought I'd overslept," giggled the gymnast. Ako smiled briefly too before resuming preparing breakfast, relieved that her cheerful friend was beginning to act more like herself after the ordeal.

* * *

"Yue-san, do you happen to have this book?" said Aer politely, handing Yue a note. The girl accepted the paper, her eyes briefly flickering to the title before staring at her dispassionately and turning her head to cal out. "Nodoka, can you go with Aer-san to section 36215? To make sure she doesn't get lost?"

"Oh, yes," replied the timid student, walking up next to her new classmate. Aer just shrugged and indicated for her superior to lead the way, which she did. The mage girl followed her into the darkness of the library, the book cases towering over them.

They walked on in total silence, their footfalls echoing around the dusty shelves before Aer suddenly spoke. "So what was all that yesterday anyway?"

"W-what do you mean?" stammered Nodoka, taken aback by the abruptness of the question.

"You know, the whole lovey-dovey crud back in class yesterday. Inicho-san was all over the brat, and then he got chased out by half the girls, all wanting hugs and kisses from him," stated the new librarian bluntly. "Any idea what that was about?"

"I d-don't recollect it," replied Nodoka nervously, wracking her mind. True, she hadn't encountered anything like that yesterday. She had just gone to the school library, returned some books, and went back to class. Once she got there, it was empty, true, but everyone quickly returned, although Negi-sensei was blushing whenever he looked at her…

She squeaked and blushed furiously as possibly explanations sprang up in her mind. Aer glanced at her quizzically but then shrugged and continued walking. Honestly, even the helpful librarian was weird. Just how did this academy manage to keep magic a secret? "So how much farther?" queried the new member of the library committee. Nodoka came back to reality and looked about, noting the towering bookcases on either side of them. Small brass plaques denoted the letter of the alphabet under which all the books in each case were filed. She nodded to herself as she began to automatically run down the shelves, searching for the correct reference number.

Aer watched her do this in silence, glancing at the other bookcases hemming them in, trying to stop herself from smiling like an idiot. She loved books, adored them even. And this library…well, it was to her what a candy store was to a ten year old who was yet to discover the joy of tooth decay. Whilst her class would be ridiculously boisterous during their free time, doing everything from hiking to karaoke, she just preferred to sit in a comfortable chair and lose herself in a good book. The welsh mage also really loved the atmosphere of the library, a large, quiet and peaceful place where one could broaden their knowledge and horizons. Pity no one else in the class would ever understand her, or talk to her for that matter. Yue seemed her sort of person, but was stoic to the point of being anti-social.

"Found it," said Nodoka in triumph, pointing to a book about seven metres above them. It had a faded and worn look, and seemed to be falling apart at the spine. "Good thing you pointed it out to us, we may need to maintain it or even replace it."

Her companion eyed it before asking, "How do we get it then?" She decided not to point out that this type of book was not easy to maintain. As for replacing it, yeah, well, good luck with _that_ one. She fought the urge to roll her eyes at Nodoka's naivety. Then again, half the human race was naïve, so she couldn't hold it against her. "Nodoka-san? How are we getting - " asked Aer again, but stopped when she realised the timid librarian was gone. She glanced about as sudden panic gripped her, but she throttled it in its infancy. Being alone in a gigantic library during the day was far from the scariest situation she had ever found herself in. And it passed quickly too, as her fellow librarian came back from around a corner, pushing a ladder which ran on rails attached to the bookcases. It slid to a silent stop next to Aer, and Nodoka began to climb it with care. Yet soon she was at the correct shelf and sliding the book out from amongst its fellows.

The purple haired girl turned down to Aer and read out the book's title. "Majik War, is this the one?" she called down, holding onto the ladder one handed, the other balancing the book on her open palm to let her see the title clearly. Down below the welsh girl nodded and waved for Nodoka to come down before some unfortunate fate befell her. The usually quiet librarian nimbly clambered down the ladder one handed, much to her companion's surprise.

"You should try out for the gymnastics team someday," commented Aer, tucking her book beneath her arm as she offered a small smile to Nodoka. Her fellow librarian looked away, mumbling negatives as they left the section.

* * *

Idly sipping his drink, Clyde Metro revelled in the sunshine and his current freedom. Under the rules of Observation, each operative was entitled to a five hour rest during the week in addition to usual sleeping requirements. It wasn't much, but the union wasn't as good as it used to be. Clyde was pretty sure the demons had a better union than the Observers, but banished the thought from his mind as he sipped his cool drink once more. He had reasons to be thankful for this job too. Like being sent here, a stunning campus, full of mages, on site facilities, its own city, everything he'd ever need. And the weather was nice too, reminding him of good ol' home. He flicked his gaze upwards momentarily, enjoying the pristine blue sky, some wisps of cloud visible high in the atmosphere. Today truly was a fine day.

He finished his drink and left a generous tip (the waitress had been prompt, and didn't look half bad either) before leaving the café. Clyde looked up and down the boulevard, idly noting the large amount of persons walking around. Not really surprising considering today was a weekend. Shrugging, the blonde walked off towards his apartment, currently under generous loan from the Mahora Dean. He'd have to go back their soon anyway, his report was due to be sent in the next couple of hours. Briefly Clyde pondered how things were going on back at Meridana. Probably a lot quieter there now, seeing as he no longer was about to blow up any more rooms. Connor would be stalking up and down the corridors, scaring everyone witless. Egare would probably be getting into fights too. As for Nekane…

He blushed briefly before smothering the thought. _Best not to dwell on that_ he thought to himself, breathing in the cool air as he walked. It was a bit sad really, still having a crush at hi age. He should have really gotten himself a girlfriend now. Clyde bit back a smile. Well, there were plenty of prospects hereabouts. And some were close to Negi to boot. That little tidbit of information might just come in useful someday, he noted in his mind. But anyway, he had a job to do first. And it involved getting that report done for today's check up. The Magus would be most displeased if he screwed up.

Again.

* * *

"It's – very nice to meet you, Howell-san," said Negi haltingly, yet in polite tones.

"Nice to meet you too Nagi," chirped the albino, idly tapping a tune on his knee whilst nibbling on a biscuit.

"That's Negi," corrected the junior teacher, trying not to stare at the funny acting new guy.

"Hmmm, mused Howell, crossing his arms as he leaned back. "Your Japanese is too good , Negi."

"I-I apologise! Wait, is that bad?!"

"Of course. Absolutely awful. You know, the sort of thing you could start bar fights over."

Asuna stared coolly at the teacher. "So Howell-san, where in England did you say you came from? Negi-kun just graduated from…" she caught herself in time, "Oxford University, you know," she finished, eying the albino.

"Really?" queried Howell, cocking an eyebrow. "Miss, you appear to be totally misinformed."

"What?"

"Little Negi here hasn't graduated from any school. In fact he's doing an assignment for the Meridana Magic Academy in Wales, aren't you Negi?" stated Howell matter-of-factly. He looked puzzled at Asuna's misinformation. "Who gave you that idea?"

"H-Howell-san!" squawked Negi in shock, falling into a panic. "Please, Howell-san…no one's meant to…please don't tall anyone! Wait, I'll just erase…!"

"Oh, Howell-san, you're a mage too then?" queried Asuna, curious.

"Why, yes, I'm a ministra. How perceptive of you!" replied Howell, flicking out his wrist, a tall, rectangular pactio card appearing in his hand like a magician's lucky card. "I used to be at Meridana too."

Hearing this, Negi clamed down slightly. "Oh, right. But Howell-san! What if Asuna didn't know about magic?! We could've both been turned into ermines! Nobody is meant to know what I really am! It causes too much trouble!"

The older teacher looked at the boy for a minute before nodding vigorously as he exclaimed, "Ah, right! You're undercover! Now I get i! Don't worry Professor, your secret is safe with me!"

Sharing a look with Negi, Asuna asked, "So, Howell-san, are you here on a graduation assignment too?"

He thought over this momentarily before shrugging with a smile. "I don't remember."

"You don't remember?"

"No…I think…" Howell muttered, before pointing accusingly at Negi with a dramatic flourish. "I think that the Professor erased my memories, just like he said!"

"Whaaa?! No, I didn't!"

"Prove it!"

"I'd certainly remember it if that was the case…"

"Ah! Not if you erased my memories and then your own!"

"What? That's the most ridiculous…"

"Ha ha! I've cornered you Professor!" crowed the albino. "Thought you could get away with it?!"

"wh-wh-whaaat?! Howell-saaaan!" cried Negi in distress, pulling back form the funny new teacher.

Asuna remained silent, looking away.

Howell suddenly deflated with a sigh as he sat back down. "Well, don't worry about it. It isn't important anyway."

"Howell-san, do you really not remember when you graduated?" asked Asuna.

"Nope."

"But isn't that a bad thing?"

"Nope," repeated Howell with a shrug, idly toying with a teacup in his hands. "It's not that important," he repeated.

The younger teacher frowned. "Isn't it?"

"Not really, I don't really care about the past you see." All of a sudden, Howell surged to his feet, as if overcome with emotion. "It doesn't matter if I used to be the bloody transvestite king of Transylvania—I'm straight now, and when you strip it away and stomp on it, that's all that really matters!"

Negi and Asuna sat there and stared at the albino, puzzled. _Wh-what a strange person. Is it quite safe to be in the same room as him?_ Wondered the younger of the pair, feeling nervous. "So, er, Howell-san. You mentioned your being a ministra—do you have a partner back in Wales?"

The red-eyed young man grinned at him widely. "Oh, no, she's here on campus."

"Really?" said Asuna. "Do we know her?"

"Oh, I wouldn't know… Her name is Akashi Yuuna."

Asuna and Negi froze.

"Oh, do you know her?"

* * *

**Chapter Six Preview:** "Dammit Negi! No fair! You get to waltz around with all those girls and here I am, stuck in a tree stalking you! Fate has no sense of justice! But just you wait! I, Clyde Metro, shall yet rise to glory and fame! Then I'll be the one receiving all the attention!

Wait, who are these girls?! After school lessons?! DAMN YOU FATE! IT COULD HAVE BEEN ME!!"

Next time on Memories Are Everyhting: Enter the Baka Rangers.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Sorry! Yes I know I'm over-due! I blame school and exams, but everyone has used that excuse at least once, so I can only offer my apologies.

**Blaze Shadow:** Thanks for the praise.

**DarkDragonDave:** Gotcha. Don't worry, everything will be just fine!

**Tsutomu Teruko:** Fixed the plot hole. I feel like a twit for not seeing that.

**Tikigod784:** Thanks.

**TzuiAssassian:** The trip to Kyoto is going to be a major pain in the ass, but we can only hope I pull it off…

* * *

**Chapter Six: Enter the Baka Rangers!**

"_It's a study group. Sort of."_

Kaede Nagase, aka Baka Blue

Yawning widely, Asuna rubbed her eyes as she ran down the road. _Yesterday was one hell of a day_ she thought groggily, still tired. It was early morning, and she was out as usual delivering papers. Strangely enough, Negi had left early too, saying something about meeting with Howell or something.

_Eh, whatever. That brat can't get up to much trouble this early_ she thought, jumping over a cat which had suddenly emerged from a bush in front of her, and continued on her way. The cat watched her go, fur bristling as its eyes narrowed.

"Damn children," it hissed in annoyance before trotting off.

* * *

Negi was, at this time, sitting with Howell in the teachers lounge, finishing off a conversation that had begun the previous night and had been plaguing him ever since. Of course, then Konoka had come in and nothing more could be said for fear of revealing magic, but now Negi could voice his opinions regarding Howell's pactio with one Yuna Akashi.

"WAHWAHWAHWAHWAH HOWELL-SAN!! HOW COULD YOU?!"

The ten year old was being quite hysterical, his ravings switching between Japanese and English as he screamed at his older colleague. "Yuna-san isn't a MAGE! Yuna-san is a middle-school student! But you… you… GAH!!"

"What'd I do?"

"You formed a pactio with her, and she didn't even know what that is!" Negi cried, waving his arms about aimlessly. "Think of what sort of consequences this could have, Howell-san! Think!"

"Huh?"

"We're trying NOT to let anyone find out about magic! And you—at this rate, Yuna-san will definitely find out… and then what?! We could both be turned into ermines! Oh, Howell-san, how could you?! Why would you do something like that!? WHY!?"

Without waiting for a response, Negi continued his panicked speech. "Of all the things to do… just grab the first girl you see and form a pactio!? What sort of thoughtless behaviour is… Howell-san! You've got to break off the contract right _now!_ No, wait… you're just the Ministra, it's the Magister who has the power to break a contract… oh, HOWELL-SAN!! WHY!?"

Thinking over these accusations, Howell just stared at the boy, his face a mask of bafflement. Eventually he took a deep breath and yelled suddenly, "FIRE!!"

Negi jumped. "Where?!"

"Oh, no where. I was just demonstrating the misuse of free speech. To prove that it exists."

"Howell-san…!!"

The albino teacher gazed at Negi with a perplexed expression. "Really, Professor. You worry too much."

"I worry because I care—"

"What for?" said Howell.

"Be-because these students' welfare is my concern! Think of all the dangers you could have exposed Yuna-san to!" argued Negi. "As a teacher, I must protect them from such things… especially as I am a mage!"

"What?" Now Howell seemed downright confused. "Why? You're really strange."

Negi simply stared at him for a moment before collapsing. "I give up…"

"Well, if there isn't anything else, I'm off! Cheerio!" said Howell with a bright smile as he stood up, as if nothing was wrong. With barely a second glance at the distressed boy, he walked out of the room, leaving Negi alone.

_I wonder if a ten year old like me can really be a teacher after all…_ thought the boy dejectedly, looking around the staff room, his eyes falling upon his staff. He remembered his promise then, to Nekane, to himself. "That's right, I've got to do my best!" he said out loud, clenching his fists in determination. He couldn't disappoint all those who had supported him so far. Not Nekane, not the Magus, not Connor, nor even Clyde or Anya. He would have to make sure magic was not discovered, and try to sort out this mess between Howell and Yuna.

"That's the spirit Negi-sensei," smiled Shizuna behind him.

Startled, Negi spun around. "Awa! Shizuna-sensei, hello! What is it?" he made out.

The mature woman smiled warmly at the child, chuckling slightly. "I have the '2-A After Class' list from Takahata-sensei here for you," she answered, handing Negi a small file, which he accepted with a nod of thanks and a nervous smile.

"After class list?" he queried politely, opening the file and looking at it's contents.

"Yes. Takahata-sensei used to give out minor tests, and then give an after-class lesson to those who scored poorly," explained Shizuna, leaning in close and indicating the paper in Negi's hand. "Here is a list of…regular members shall we say," she said with another smile. The ten year old teacher glanced down at the list and giggled slightly, noticing Asuna's name.

"So Asuna-san is poor at English then?" summarised Negi, unknowingly making the largest understatement of his career for some months to come.

"She seems to enjoy the lessons," explained the older teacher, dropping her voice into a whisper "It's already the third semester, so those with low marks may have issues with their exams…"

"Ah…you're right…" replied Negi, feeling a bead of sweat run down his face. As a teacher, it would be his responsibility to make sure the girls passed their exams. If they didn't, it would be a sign of failure on his part in fulfilling his task, which in turn would lead to him failing to become a magister magi.

* * *

_Meanwhile, all the way back at Meridana…_

* * *

"I'm telling you, that brat is probably crying by now!" huffed Anya, storming around the empty classroom. It was late evening, and most of the students had gone either home or back to their dorms. Except the usual gang of course.

"Look, Anya, I'm sure if he was crying, Metro would've mentioned it in his dispatches. From what we've been getting though…" replied Egare, shaking his head, trying to suppress a grin. "You're just afraid he'll find himself a girlfriend there…" he continued, trailing off as he caught the murderous look in Anya's eyes. The boy opened his mouth to say something to avert his fate but it was too late.

* * *

Connor looked up with a tired sigh as he drove his foot down, crushing the man's hand. Not a sound escaped from the wounded mage. He just glared at him through his sad theatre mask, mumbling incoherently. Another damn Angel. Like the others, this one also refused to disclose the location of the Mother. Connor shook his head as he drew one of his pistols and shot the man in the face.

"Useless trash," he said, putting his gun back in its holster. "Hardly worth the effort."

"Come now Connor, you're doing a civic service!" someone laughed behind him. Normally, that would have startled Connor enough to get him to draw his blade and proceed to slice and dice everything within reach. However, he recognized that voice, so it did not startle him as much as a sudden intrusion normally would. "It's admirable of you, almost scarily so," continued Masayoshi, entering the clearing.

"What do you want?" replied the brown hired youth without preamble, turning from the dead man.

Masayoshi's grin faded. "Dean wants us back right now. Apparently they've found something in the dungeons," he said gravely.

"Hmm, really? Another young student using spells which are over his head?"

"...you…could say that," replied the bespectacled boy uneasily.

Just then another blast startled the two men, and they spun to face the school building, seeing one of the classroom windows disintegrate. Both shared a look and relaxed, beginning the walk back. They could recognize Anya's patented "Mega Punch" attack anywhere.

* * *

"The 2A Baka Rangers have assembled!" greeted four of the girls, as varied a group as Negi had yet encountered. Makie Sasaki was there, as were Ku Fei and Kaede Nagase. Yue Ayase was there too, much to Negi's surprise. From first glance she seemed to be one to score perfect grades.

"Who's a baka ranger?!" demanded Asuna in annoyance, hitting the surface of the desk to emphasise her displeasure. "So I can't study! It's hardly a big deal! I mean, this is an escalator school anyway so it's not like I won't be able to get into high school."

Thinking swiftly, Negi said probably the only thing which was likely to make Asuna change her mind. "But Asuna-san, Takamichi would be disappointed if he saw your poor grades in English, wouldn't he?"

Flushing slightly, the red head sighed in defeat. "F-fine. All I've got to do is take this class, right?"

Negi flashed her a smile and nodded, quickly pulling out a sheaf of papers he had prepared for this extra lesson. "Alright, first we'll have a test composed of ten marks, and you can't leave until you score at least six, OK?" Hearing no dissent from the girls, he waved for them to begin and sat down to await the results of their work. Personally he wasn't expecting this to take long, he'd picked out some of the easiest tests he could get his hands on. It would do well for the morale of the Baka Rangers to succeed in an exam once in a while, he figured.

"I'm done," said Yue, appearing in front of the child teacher.

"Wha-? Already?" he asked, taking the exam paper and checking it quickly before exclaiming in surprise. "Wow, Yue, you scored nine points! You pass!" Two other girls, the rest of what Negi had learned was the Library Trio, cheered for Yue from the doorway. "See? You're able to do it after all!" he congratulated as the girls made their goodbyes and left.

"I'm finished Negi-kun!" called Makie, coming up to him, Kaede and Ku Fei following. Smiling, Negi took their papers and looked them over, his smile vanishing as he stared at their answers and checked them in his mind. Two three's and a four. Close but not quite there yet.

Hoping to salvage something out of this, he turned to Asuna. "And how's your work progressing?" he asked, accepting the paper she gave him without bothering to make eye contact. Negi scanned this to. A score of two. He was going to have his work cut out for him if they were struggling with these questions…

"O…OK, then I'll just go over these points, and once we're done we'll do the test again!" Negi remarked eventually, smiling encouragingly at his pupils as they prepared for another round of learning.

* * *

"Negi, Negi, Negi," sighed Clyde, idly inspecting the rose in his hand. His legs swung freely off the edge of the parapet as he leaned against the wall, half turning his head to look inside the classroom. His green cloak was wrapped tightly around him, warding off the wind chill. Sometimes, being an Observer was boring. In the end, it was just sitting around and spying on trainee mages, making sure they got up to no mischief. And all he had to do was sit here on this parapet and listen to Negi teach a bunch of Japanese girls English.

Rubbing his eyes in boredom, Clyde pulled out a scroll and his quill, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before beginning to write his report. He still had about three hours before he was due to send it, but it was a good way of killing time. It sure beat watching Negi try to help that orange-haired girl learn English. Even Clyde could see that was a lost cause.

* * *

"Ah you see Asuna, this here…" said Negi helpfully, trying his best to sound encouraging. No such luck, as Asuna just glowered at him.

_Uh…until now it's always been Takahata-sensei teaching these lessons!_ she though in annoyance as Bakas Pink, Yellow and Blue came over to hand their papers to the little brat.

"Ah! Nagase-san! Ku Fei-san! Eight out of ten! You both pass!" smiled the boy, congratulating the pair.

"Me learning Japanese too, so I've got to do my best-aru!" explained the cheerful Chinese girl, Kaede nodding to confirm the fact behind her.

"Sensei! I'm done too!" said Makie Sasaki, Baka Pink as she handed her exam to the boy. Negi looked over it quickly and smiled shakily.

"You got six out of ten! Just made it…" he said, before the girl patted him on the head.

"Sorry for being so dumb then sensei!" she laughed before leaving with the two other Baka Rangers, leaving Negi alone with Asuna.

"So, how are you doing?" he asked, hopes raised now that most of the girls were gone. He had feared that they would cause a problem with regards to his teaching position, but it simply seemed as if they just needed to work a bit harder. The young boy took his roommates paper once she was finished and marked it.

She got one out of ten.

"I-it's ok! Once I've tutored you, you'll be getting eight out of ten in no time! It took me three whole weeks to master Japanese you know! I'll try to be more thorough, so lets do our best for the next question!"

_This is so humiliating_ thought the red head, refusing to look at the little teacher.

* * *

_Thirty minutes later…_

* * *

A one, a three, a two, a four, another one…

Negi looked up from the papers on his desk, totally at a loss on how to handle this situation. Asuna was slumped on her desk, an aura of depression surrounding her.

"I give up. I'm just an idiot anyway…" she mumbled.

"Ah! Don't give up Asuna-san!" cried Negi, running over to her side, thinking quickly of the best way to cheer her up before a voice interrupted from the door.

"Hey, how's it going in there Negi-kun?" Oh, Asuna-chan is here, as usual I see. Don't give Negi-sensei too much trouble, ok?" said Takahata with a smile, his ever present cigarette drooping form his mouth slightly. "Well then, you two do your best now!" he wished them as he left, going to do whatever business he had to do.

Negi stared after the older man before turning to Asuna, who was trembling slightly. "A-Asuna-san, don't take any notice of him…" stammered the boy. But it was no good.

"WAAAAAH!" wailed Asuna as she shot off from the classroom.

"Wait, Asuna-san!" cried Negi, leaping onto his staff and shooting off down the corridor.

"HEY! Wait for me!" burst out Clyde outside the window in a panic, losing his balance. The Observer's arms wind milled for a moment before he fell off the parapet. "Shit!"

An arm darted out suddenly from the window below and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck as he fell, nearly chocking the poor blonde. Holding his neck, he squirmed in the person's grip to see who had saved him. And smiled sheepishly.

"Oh. Er, hi Takamichi," laughed Clyde, rubbing his head as Death Glare pulled him inside. "What you up to?"

"Looking for you. The dean wants to see you," answered Takahata, dumping the Observer into the classroom. "He wants to know how your Observation is progressing."

"Very well actually, and-" began the blonde, before being silenced by a look from the teacher, and nodded his assent, allowing himself to be marched from the room.

* * *

Outside, Yuna walked the path home alone once more. She sighed, looking at the sun which now hung above the horizon as she continued down the street, idly letting her eyes wander from the stretched-out shadow of a building to the next. After a minute however, her eyes fell upon a new shadow, this one of a person.

Following the dark silhouette she looked up, and was taken aback momentarily to see that it belonged to none other than Howell. She hadn't had a lesson with him yet, and wasn't exactly looking forward to one either. Still, he was peering between two trash cans so fixedly she couldn't help but be intrigued.

"Howell?" Yuna called softly. "Are you looking for something?"

The teacher looked up. "Oh, it's you, Yuna. I'm looking for Lulu; I can't find her…"

"You mean the cat?" Yuna queried. "Uh-oh, did she get lost? She's not used to this town, so… oh, there are some dogs living here, too… I hope she's okay…" she trailed off, hurrying over to join Howell in the trash can searching. When that failed to produce results, she hurried down the road, calling, "Lulu! Lulu! Here, kitty, kitty!"

When she received no response, she turned to the lethargic Howell in order to command him to join in, but was surprised to see that he had come up to stand right behind her, staring at her with a strange expression on his face.

"What're you doing?" he asked quietly.

"I'm looking for your cat!" Yuna retorted. "I mean, you're a jerk, but she's cute! I'm worried!"

Howell frowned deeply, staring at her even harder. His scarlet eyes were clouded with confusion, and in a rather grouchy voice he remarked, "You keep saying that… you and the Professor, too. I don't get it. Why do you two get so worked up all the time?"

"Huh? Well, ex-CUSE me, Mr. Tin-Man, but not everybody can go through life not caring about anything like you do!" Yuna pointed out hotly.

"Why not? I don't understand."

"Wha…?" the brunette stared at Howell. "C'mon, Howell, you've gotta care about something, right?"

Howell shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think so. I've never really thought about it."

"Well, what about Lulu? You care about finding her, right? That's why you're looking for her."

"Not really."

The two stared at each other for a long time, disbelieving. Finally Yuna spoke to break the silence.

"Its getting late. We should head back. Perhaps Lulu is already home? Akira is probably petting her right now actually!" remarked the athletic girl, the idea taking root as soon as it planted itself in her mind. Howell just stared at her before shrugging and beginning to stride back towards the dorms, leaving Yuna to catch up.

* * *

Panting on the river bank, Asuna turned to Negi. The kid had managed to keep up with her, even though she had run as far and as fast as possibly, trying with all her might to leave that excruciatingly embarrassing moment in the past.

"So you…managed to…keep up…with me?" she made out as she tried ot catch her breath. Her teacher was kneeling on the sand, breathing hard as if he too had run all those miles.

"T-this staff…can go…as fast as…a bike you know," breathed Negi heavily, swallowing air.

"Ah sheesh!" sighed Asuna, sitting down back to back with the young boy. "You're pretty stubborn, aren't you? Just stop with these weird plans of cheering me up, ok?" she asked him, looking at the sky.

"B-but I'm your teacher. And helping those in trouble is the job of a magi…" explained Negi. Asuna mulled this over momentarily before asking him again.

"Why do you try so hard? Why do you put so much effort tin? You're just a kid after all…"

"That's because there is someone I admire very much. They say he's dead…but I don't believe he is," explained Negi, his eyes taking a faraway look one usually does when reminiscing. "A man who mastered a thousand spells with ease, the most powerful mage in the world. The Thousand Master. While he travelled the world, he helped countless people who needed aid…"

_Is that you Negi? My, you have grown…take this staff. I'm passing it to you. Be a fine man Negi, do your best…_

"…that's why I want to become a great mage, just like him! If I do, then perhaps I can meet him again…" he finished, looking at the staff in his hands.

"Aw fine! I gettit, I gettit!" sighed Asuna in annoyance. "All I gotta do I sstudy, right? You want to be this magis…whatever, fine! I'll cooperate!" she declared, pulling out her notebook to signify how serious she was.

"Ah! T-thanks Asuna-san!"

"S-stop hugging me you idiot!"

* * *

**Chapter Seven Preview:** So…the Princess has placed her trust in the boy. And the class has accepted their teacher…all proceeds as planned. Now, it is time for the first test...

Next time on Memories are Everything: Dodgeball Showdown!

…the cast are still to be assembled.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Not only did I procrastinate on this chapter, but I lost half of it as well. I cannot offer any suitable apology for this. Also, is being weird and not letting me format my writing properly, so its all centralised this time aorund.

**Shujin1:** Oh right, thanks for that!

**Tikigod784:** Howell canon? Meh. Epic? Not yet.

**GaleBread:** And still no PoE…

**TzuiAssassian:** Ah right. Mind pointing out my mistakes?

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Dodge ball Showdown Part One**

"_Peace is not in my vocabulary"_

Mana Tatsumiya

The school bell rang in the clear air, echoing around the area. Out in front of the building, children and teenagers were lounging around and playing in their free time, taking advantage of the beautiful weather. It was almost picturesque, with clouds rolling slowly by on a cerulean sky, and a warm sun gazing benevolently down on all.

A ball flew through the air, casting a small shadow on a girls face. Grinning wickedly, she ran to where the ball began to fall back down to earth, hitting it back up towards one of her friends. "There you go!" cried Yuna Akashi, her black ponytail swinging with momentum.

"Got it," replied her friend, another girl, this one with short, purple-white hair. Ako Izumi. She rebounded the ball to a third girl in the group., who stepped forward slightly to bounce the ball back in the air.

"Hey, it's been five days since Negi-kun's arrived," began Makie Sasaki, as the ball flew up away from her. "What do you think of him so far?" she asked with genuine curiosity, glancing at the other sports girls.

"Hmmm, he's not bad, being cute and all…" ventured Akira Okochi, the fourth member of the sports girls, hitting the volleyball back up as it fell near her.

"Yeah! He's really giving it his best with the whole teaching thing too, unlike that Howell guy," offered Yuna, making a disgusted face when mentioning the albino's name.

"Who?" asked Makie suddenly, tilting her head to one side quizzically.

"Another new teacher. He's teaching literature to older classes," explained Akira, as Ako bumped the ball back into the air.

"Did something happen with him?" asked the trainee nurse, once the soft sphere was back in the sky and heading at Makie again.

"Um…"

* * *

"_Hey, __Akira-san, where's Turnips?"_

_Akira, currently reading a book in the armchair, responded, "You mean Yuna-san? She's in the shower right now, Howell…"_

"_Oh. Okay."_

_Howell stared blankly at the swimmer, then stood up and strode deliberately over to the bathroom door._

_For one reason or another, Yuna hadn't locked the door. Or perhaps she had, but Howell was just able to get around it somehow. Either way, instead of waiting as he should have, the young man just threw open the door and peeked in, announcing loudly, "Yuna-chan…"_

_Yuna stood frozen under the running water, her fingers hanging by her very-wet hair, eyes very wide as she stared at the intruder, who returned the stare with interest._

"_Um," he said, most tactfully._

_Very slowly, not ever letting her eyes leave his, Yuna reached for the shower curtain and pulled it across her chest. She looked at him, unmoving, for what seemed like ages._

_Howell finally reacted, taking a step backwards and then slamming the door shut front of him. Dazed, he turned around, pressed his back to the door and stared at his feet, crimson eyes clouded._

"_What… what was…" he mumbled brokenly. "… __that__?"_

* * *

"Nothing really," said Akira, noticing Yuna imitating slitting her throat if she revealed what had happened in the apartment this morning.

"But still," interrupted Ako, as Makie caught the ball as the game paused momentarily. "Next year is exam year. You think we'll be ok with a child teacher?" A note of worry had crept into the girl's voice, as fear of failure set in.

"So what? This place is an escalator until university anyway," pointed out the Yuna, shooting her friends a thumbs up as she grinned, totally care free.

"But in the end, Negi-kun is only ten years old," commented Makie, stifling a laugh at the basketball girl's behaviour. "There's some stuff you just can't talk to him about like you could with Takahata-sensei."

Yuna suddenly giggled, some colour tinting her face. "Hehehehe…instead, it's more like we should be listening to his problems!"

"Hahaha, you mean as his experienced one-samas?" laughed Makie, throwing the ball at Ako. The coach of the junior football team squeaked as she hit the ball away, causing it to fly from the ring of girls and bounce slightly as Makie set off after it.

"Throw that thing properly will you?" complained Ako after her, as the gymnast leant down to pick the ball up, as it rolled to a stop before a set of legs.

"You lot as experienced one-samas?" sneered a cultured voice from above the girl. "Don't make us laugh!"

Looking up, Makie gulped. "Y-you are…!"

* * *

The day outside was perfect, the sun shining high in the sky, with birds singing and kids playing. Sighing wistfully, Negi turned his attention back to the sheaf of papers on his desk, massaging his wrist as he set about grading the latest homework from his classes.

Next to him, Howell Fitzwilliam was busy making paper airplanes out of the work he was supposed to be marking and flinging them all over the place, generally making a nuisance of himself.

One of the flying projectiles struck Negi in the side of his head. The boy sighed and crumpled up the paper assailant and hurled it at the bin, managing to get it in from a distance of two feet!

"He is more of a kid than you, eh?" smiled Seruhiko, clapping a hand on the boy's shoulder, tilting his head in the albino's direction. Negi looked up at the older teacher and nodded, smiling.

The moment was spoilt however by yet another teacher coming up to the boy's desk.

"Springfield-san, Seruhiko-san," nodded a blue haired woman, holding some books against her chest.

"Oh, hello Katsako-sensei," welcomed Seruhiko. "Oh Negi-kun, you haven't met her yet right? This is Katsako Tamori. She teaches history here."

"Oh? What period?" asked the child genius, looking at the woman politely.

"All of them," she replied with a smile before Seruhiko could speak. "I'm an…avid historian," she explained. "Oh and-" she said, whacking the other older teacher with her free hand. "-how many times do I have to tell you to call me Kat?"

Negi stared as Sruhiko tried to mumble an apology to the irritated woman.

"Negi-sensei?" asked yet another feminine voice.

"Um…yes?" he replied, twirling in his seat to face this visitor, who turned out to be Shizuna.

Seeing his slightly worried expression and the two adults bickering like children behind him, the mature woman smiled warmly. "Oh don't worry, those two are always like that," she explained with a discreet wink. "So how's your teacher training coming along? Have you got the feeling for it yet?" she asked, leaning to one side to avoid one of Howell's wildly careening paper airplanes.

"N-no…not yet," stammered the boy bashfully, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm younger than everyone in my class, so I tend to be treated as a kid…no one ever comes to see me for advice or anything," the child elaborated, his voice tinged partly with relief, and partly with disappointment.

"Heheh..well that can't be helped can it?" replied Shizuna in sympathy, patting the boy on the back in a motherly fashion. The ten year old smiled up at her as Howell final ran out of paper and instead began top fire off elastic bands in random directions, one hitting Katsako's hand, making her drop the books she was holding. As she and Seruhiko bent down to pick them up, they knocked heads against each other and proceeded to mumble embarrassed apologies to each other for the next five minutes whilst collecting the books up off the floor.

"Waaah! Sensei!" exclaimed yet MORE females as they burst into the room, heading straight for Negi's desk. Seriously, the kid just kept attracting females to his side. Lucky little brat.

"Yes?" he asked, springing up form his seat as he recognized them as members of his homeroom class

"T-there's a fight in the school grounds!" reported a teary girl, Izumi he remembered.

"Please help us sensei!" begged an equally teary Makie, holding up a bruised hand to convey the seriousness of the situation.

"EH?!?! Who would do something like that?!" demanded the boy, leaping up and running out towards the school grounds, the girls following. At the door he nearly ran into yet another student, who smoothly stepped back and to the side, allowing the ten year old and his girls to continue down the hallway. Once they were gone the boy entered the staff room and looked about momentarily before locating the teacher he needed to see.

"Fitzwilliam-sensei!" called Lee Obidia irritably, rubbing the scratches on his forehead with his free hand. The teacher p[erked up at the mention of his name and looked at the boy as he approached. "Don't let your cat wander about next time," growled the reporter, dropping on the albino's lap a small cage containing a furry ball of fury, hissing and spitting at the blonde. "She's a menace."

"Lulu? Nah, she wouldn't harm a fly," replied Howell cheerily as he released his familiar, the cat settling down in his lap as he petted her.

"That furball nearly sliced and diced me!" cried out Lee in annoyance. "Plus she makes far too uch noise! Keep better control fo her sensei! Set an example!"

"But…she cares for me," mumbled Howell, slightly confused..

Words failed Lee as Shizuna laughed quietly at his predicament, Katsako and Seruhiko continuing to act like teenagers.

* * *

"Ouch," winced Clyde, seeing the mean high-school girl hit the ball straight down in a brutal attack at the students from Negi's class. The ball speared at the face of the girl with the long black hair, but was intercepted by someone he had learned was called Yuna. The projectile smacked into her arm and rebounded back into the older girl's hand, leaving behind a nasty bruise.

Luckily, further injuries and conflicts were avoided with the rather timely arrival of Negi. Clyde smiled to himself as he saw his little friend stand up to a group of girls nearly twice his own height.

"Ah Negi, always seeking the diplomatic solution," whispered the blonde Observer to himself, twirling a rose in his delicate fingers, the bags under his eyes giving him a haunted look. He hadn't been sleeping well lately, nothing but nightmares whenever he drifted off. Lucky him that he had those sleeping potions, otherwise he would have burnt out ages ago…

Shaking his drifting mind clear, Clyde turned his attention back to the confrontation, ready to summon his rapier and leap down, making a dramatic entrance whilst revealing himself to protect his friend!

"Your presence is hardly required yet, Observer 36215," rasped a voice in his ear.

Clyde nearly yelped as he jumped in fright, spinning around to see who had spoken. But he was perched all alone on the branch, a faint dusty wind gently swaying the leaves.

"M-must be a lot more tired than I thought," grumbled the irate blonde, sighing wearily. "Oh right, Negi! Gotta save him!"

Clyde turned his attention back to his friend's plight, being mercilessly-

"Awww, he's so adorable!"

The Observer fell from the tree and crashed into the bushes below when he saw that the damn kid was only being fondled again. Tat's al that ever seemed to happen to Negi ever since he got here. Well apart from the occasional head whack from that girl with the bells.

And in came the cavalry!

"Cut it out you old hags!" snapped a voice as the volleyball slammed squarely into the back of the lead girl's head.

"What the..?" snarled the leader of the seniors, twirling in place to face the threat, confronted with the sight of an unlikely duo.

"A-Asuna-san and Class rep-san?!" exclaimed Negi, equally surprised.

"This place has always been used by 2A," said Ayaka serenely. "Might we ask that you 'old' ladies vacate the premises?" she asked sweetly, with barely a trace of a smirk.

"W-what did you call us?!"

"In short, our Negi-sensei – HEY!" yelped the class representative as Asuna shoved her out of the way to grab the high schoolers' attention. "Anyways, you guys had better get out of here! Just because you're seniors doesn't give you the right to push others around!"

"Hah. You talk big but you're just a kid," scoffed one of the senior girls, sharing a laugh with her classmates. However, the one with raven black hair, the leader of the gang, seemed thoughtful.

"I know those two…" she began, snapping her fingers as she remembered. Kagurazaka Asuna and Yukihiro Ayaka. They may be middle schoolers, but they're quite renowned…" She turned back to the two 2A girls. "But you should better do what your senpais say. Kids like you should play in a little corner of their own!"

Asuna's face twitched slightly.

"And what's more…isn't it a little unfair for your class to have a monopoly on this cute little kid?" queried the leader, hugging Negi tightly, who was currently trapped by the high schoolers. "Why don't you give him to us?"

That set off the powder keg that was a quivering Ayaka, murderously glaring at the girls treating her precious senpai as their own.

"Who'd share with a bunch of grannies like you?!" screeched the blonde in uncontrollable fury. "Getting all puffed up because you're seniors!"

"What was that?! You want a piece of this damn brat?!" hissed the high schooler coldly.

Negi in the meantime had taken advantage of the commotion and slipped free from the grasps of the girls, and was now looking on, worried. As a teacher, he was meant to stop such situations occurring, but when everyone involved was taller and older than him…

"Argh, you owe me big time for this!" groaned Clyde, as he raised his arm, still covered in dirt and slightly bruised from his fall. Closing his eyes to aid his concentration, the Observer incanted a quick spell, and shot an emergency pulse into the air, set at the frequency Takahata had told him to use in such circumstances. His work done, the boy let his arms fall to the ground, and he lay there, staring at the sky and listening to the girls fight, the brawl drowning out Negi's pathetic though wilful attempts to break it up.

* * *

With a groan, the door finally opened inwards. Darkness welled up behind it, impenetrable to their eyes. But what truly confirmed this to be a den of evil in their minds was the smell. The smell of rotting flesh and blood.

Connor's face betrayed his disgust, as he pulled the collar of his coat around the lower part of his face in a vain attempt to ward off the stench. He glanced sideways and waved at Masayoshi to go in before him. The Chief Librarian of Meridana looked at the damned swordsman as if he was mad, leaning over to peek inside, his features etched in an expression of utter horror.

Holding back his impatience, Connor raised his foot and slammed it in to the small of Masayoshi's back, propelling the other man through the portal and into the room behind. There was a yelp and a squelch as he landed in something wet. Steeling himself, Connor went inside after him.

He blinked, waiting for his eyes to adjust. There was precious little lighting this far underground, in the Academy catacombs.

"Eugh, what is this stuff?" moaned Masayoshi, struggling up from the muck. It tastes disgusting.

"Fetid water. We're well below the water table this far down. Underground stores must have leaked in here," explained Connor, as hazy shapes began to resolve themselves and he could begin to discern the size of the room.

Breathing shallowly through his mouth, the man took a tentative step forward, an audible squelch betraying his movement. "Ugh, mould. Honestly, this place is disgusting," he commented in distaste. Masayoshi ha managed to stand up by this time, and had retreated past him to the door, taking solace in the faint light issuing from beyond it.

"C-Connor…" stammered Masayoshi suddenly.

"What is it?" asked his companion, turning around. His look of annoyance melted away when he saw the ghastly state of the wizard. The young man was covered in blood. It was on his face, his clothing. Inexorably Connor's gaze fell down to his own feet, sinking into a partly congealed puddle of blood.

Horror welled up inside him, yet he maintained his composure with a steely determination born out of years of hardship. He turned back around to look at the room, and raised his hand. With a muttered incantation, his fist glowed as if it held a small fire inside, shedding light on the chamber.

"Jesus," swore the swordsman softly, averting his eyes. This was bad. Very bad. "Masayoshi, we're leaving!" he said loudly, turning back. "Masayoshi?"

"His eyes shine upon me…His eyes shine upon me…" uttered the black haired magician over and over again, trembling violently. His eyes continued to scan the opposite wall, adorned with crude images and phrases daubed in blood.

"Dammit, snap out of it!" growled Connor, leaping over to the young man and hitting him in the gut. The magician bent over involuntarily, breaking eye contact with the accursed scrawling. Immediately his mutterings stopped, and he slumped forward, unconscious. Connor caught the mage before he hit the blood slick floor, and dragged him outside, leaving a bloody trail in his wake. As soon as they crossed the threshold, the swordsman slammed the door shut.

Panting heavily, as if having run a marathon, Connor slumped against the wooden construct and sighed heavily.

"Looks like we found the missing students," he whispered to the passed out form of his companion.

* * *

**Chapter Eight preview:** "Come one, come all! Behold one of the most irregular matches in dodge ball history! The infamous Black Lilies take on Class 2A in a battle for the playground! I'm Lee Obidia, your reporter on the ground, promising to update you on the situation as it unfolds!"

Next time on Memories Are Everything: Dodge ball Showdown Part Deux


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **And now we begin the dodge ball match proper. The end of Volume One is in sight! Thanks for reading so far! And sorry for the short chapter.

**BlazeShadow:** Thank you. Keeping up as per orders.

**The Ansem Man:** D land? Not at all. Think carefully Ansem. Meridana magic academy, and forbidden spells.

**GaleBread:** Hopefully it won't mess up again…and update already!

**TzuiAssassian:** I apologise. I really do need a proof-reader. Here's more of the same for you.

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Dodge ball Showdown Part Deux**

"_Mess with the best, cry like the rest"_

Black Lilies Motto

Negi sighed slightly, face down on his desk in the teachers lounge. He was pretty much alone, with the other teachers having lessons and so on. Though the odd paper air plane gliding past did hint at the presence of Howell nearby.

"Takahata-sensei is so cool..." said the child out loud, turning his head so he could gaze out the window. The day was still bright outside, and the girls would probably be getting under way with their sports activities. Negi sighed sadly again and closed his eyes, remembering how earlier that day Takahata had managed to defuse a potentially volatile situation in seconds, without even needing to raise his voice. Must have been thanks to that aura of responsibility that always seemed to hang around him. Not a spell, but a hard earned reputation built over the years he had worked in Mahora.

"I hope I can become like him," continued Negi wistfully.

His quiet reverie was however rather suddenly spoilt by someone flying into the lounge at a hurry. Startled, the boy sat up straight in a flash, relaxing once he recognized the teacher. "Ah, Gandolfini-sensei, what's wrong?"

Noticing the boy, the imposing suited man strode up to him and clapped him on the shoulders. "Negi-kun, I need a favour from you."

"Oh, of course!" replied Negi, eager to prove himself to one of the mage teachers.

"I need you to cover senior class 2-Ds PE lesson," explained Gandolfini quickly, immediately spinning on his heel and heading for the door. "Ok, thanks, bye," he bade as the door closed behind him, leaving Negi alone in the lounge, trying to work out what just happened. Then it hit him he had a duty to perform and he raced out the teachers lounge, sparing a glance at the lesson plans nailed to the wall to find out where he was heading. And then he was off like a rocket.

Outside, Gandolfini watched the child race off, scratching his head. "What's got him all worked up?"

"No idea," said a small cat sitting in the hallway idly licking its paw.

The teacher looked down at the animal, recognizing it. "You're Howell-sans familiar aren't you?"

"Of course I am. Do you know where he is?"

"Yes, he's somewhere in the languages classrooms," answered Gandolfini.

"Oh right, second floor right? Thanks." The cat stood up, stretched out, and then wandered off towards the stairs. Gandolfini watched it go before shaking his head and muttering something about familiars, and entered the lounge.

With a sigh another Gandolfini dropped from the ceiling where he had braced himself against both walls enclosing the hallway. Rubbing its aching arms, the figure dropped the illusion spell, taking on its familiar robed form.

"Let the games begin," it muttered with a smile.

* * *

"Takahata-sensei was so cool today, breaking up the fight like that," said Makie, getting changed into her sports uniform. It as afternoon, and time for 3A's PE lesson on the roof, as usual. And so in preperation the girls were getting changed in their classroom.

"Yeah," agreed Ako, putting on her white shirt. "He's someone we can rely on."

"Did something happen?" queried Misora, turning to Asuna for confirmation, with a slightly puzzled look on her face.

The fiery tempered student simply huffed. "We got into a fight with the seniors," she explained, pulling on her gym top.

"Eeeeh, again?!" chorused two pink haired twins, barely about the height of Asuna's waist. "You got beat up didn't you?" the pair queried in unison, a startling habit they had picked up from somewhere.

Asuna coloured at that and began snapping at the giggling twins, something the class skilfully ignored after having witnessed the scene many times before.

"Still, Negi-kun was a bit pathetic back there wasn't he?" suggested Yuna, at the same time thinking of another pathetic teacher she knew. She frowned slightly at the thought of the albino, but shook the thought off as she pulled up her gym shorts, glancing at Makie. "Right?"

"But he's only ten years old, so there's no helping it really," replied the gymnast, coming somewhat to the young boys defence.

"What's with you girls?! Making fun of Negi-sensei like that!" exclaimed Ayaka in annoyance.

"Eeeeh, but it's true..." said Yuna sheepishly, Ako nodding with agreement behind her, and behind her was a disapproving Makie.

As the class began heading towards the roof for their lesson, the discussion continued, with Ayaka and Makie hanging near the back looking darkly at the rest of the girls speaking of how their teacher wasn't up for the challenge set before him.

"It's going to be the end of term exams soon, so a teacher you can actually discuss with...would be, you know," Ako suggested, just in front of the annoyed pair with Yuna.

"I want someone who's cute and helpful," agreed the basketball player, whilst behind her both Ayaka and Makie "hmph"ed and shot sideways glares at the gossiping girls.

"Hey come on already, it's volleyball on the roof today," reminded Asuna offhandedly, showing her indifference to the topic of conversation. The rest of the girls followed her up the stairs, despite not acknowledging her speaking at all.

"Why do we have to be on the roof anyway?" complained Sakurako, amidst the flow of people.

"Because the school doesn't have enough courts for all the students," answered Misa, whilst next to her Madoka rolled her eyes. They always had this conversation when heading to the PE lesson on the roof.

"Even though the grounds are so big?!"

"Yes, as always," interjected Madoka, unwilling to hear the same conversation play out for about the fiftieth time now.

Up ahead Asuna had opened the door and stepped onto the sunlit volleyball court on the school roof, surrounded by a tall mesh fence to prevent anybody from falling off.

"So, we meet again!" welcomed one of the senior girls from earlier.

* * *

Clyde stifled a groan of pain as he tried to squeeze out of his sudden predicament without anybody noticing. It had seemed like a pleasant opportunity to relax, under the bright sun and warm wind. He had been keeping an eye on Negi, as usual, leaning against the wall next to the door leading to the staircase, out of everybody's way, when all of a sudden WHAM, he got slammed with said door and pinned in place.

Thankful that at least nothing was broken. Squirming this way and that, taking care not to budge the door, lest he attract attention, Clyde slowly edged away from the hinges, trying to slip out from behind the door. Eventually he managed to slide free and took a deep, grateful breath, before glancing up to take in the situation, as a good Observer would.

It didn't look too good. The red head and blonde from 2A were arguing with the seniors again, and without Takahamichi around to break it up, things were bound to get rough for little Negi.

"Anyway, this time we were first, so why don't you just back off, Kagurazaka-san?" replied the leader of the senior girls, idly spinning a volleyball on the tip of her finger.

Nearly popping a vein in fury, the red head pointed at the girl and stammered hotly "You-You did this on purpose!" Behind her, Ayaka was nodding slightly, unwilling to openly support the monkey. "There's a court right next to you dorm! And you still come to our roof?!"

The senior girl smirked. "Heh, is that all you got to say this time? Bunch of babies."

Now it was Ayaka's turn to reign I her sudden fury. "W-what did you say?!" she demanded, her fists trembling.

"You big menaies!" threw in Makie from behind her.

"And you call yourselves high school students!" added Yuna, throwing further fuel to the flames.

Stealthily making his way to the edge of the roof, thankful for the concealment spell he'd bartered off Egare months ago, Clyde began to silently incant the signalling spell he had used earlier. Bailing Negi out of trouble wasn't really his style, but a fight on the roof would be a bad thing.

Plus Nekane would be so impressed with him being so protective of her little brother...

Shaking his head and colouring slightly, Clyde merely whispered "idiot" to himself and fired off the spell into the air, unnoticed by any of the girls crowding around Negi, voices raised.

Then his attention was caught by a loud sneeze and a minor gale force wind hitting him in the back, propelling him forwards and smacking him into the fence, before dying away letting him slide to the floor convinced fate had it in for him.

Perched on the fence, a concealed Lee glanced down at the concealed observer through his TrueSightTM goggles (Item 36215 in the catalogue if you must know). "Amateur," he muttered, not particularly concerned by the sight of an Observer. Heck, he had been wondering why Mahora didn't have an entire cadre of those running about, what with the amount of students with magic present on campus.

Looking over the group of students agreeing finally on something, he smiled as he pulled out his cellphone and speed dialled the first contact.

"Boss, I got a filler story for you," he said as soon as the connection was established.

* * *

_An undetermined amount of time later..._

* * *

Fireworks blossomed over the roof of Mahora Girl Academy, fired off from the mortar Chachamaru held in her hands, with enough noise to make Evangeline, who was sitting next to her, cover her ears in annoyance. Next to them the cheerleader trio was performing their standard routine to some music pulsing out of the small radio the had "borrowed" from the music department.

Behind them, leaning against the wall of the small building housing the staircase, were Mana, Setsuna and Kaede, none of which were participating in the coming battle for Negi on the grounds the whole thing was stupid and pointless. Above them, perched on the edge of the roof of the small building was Zazie, silent as ever.

Next to her, though slightly away to avoid detection, sat a concealed Lee, who couldn't help but keep glancing sideways at her, in-between writing in his notebook, and taking pictures with his new camera. Sure, this was hardly front page material, but there were a lot of pages to fill.

And below him, behind the building, obscuring him from everybody else's view, sat Clyde, his quill dancing around on the scroll of parchment in front of him as he composed his report in the pleasant midday sun.

With a shrill whistle, the game began.

* * *

**Chapter Nine preview: **"Well, so we got to play against the Black Lilies. Who would have thought that dodgeball was an official sport? The sports girls should have known at least dammit. At least we get to use our whole class against their team...

Wait, what do you mean we can't dodge?! And who the hell are all these people?!"

Next time on Memories Are Everything: Dodge ball Showdown Part Three


End file.
